In Email to Heaven, author Emma Northup Flinn chronicles the long, difficult road her family has traveled in a quest to find support and care for her son Robert, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
A happy, bright, and seemingly well-adjusted young man, Robert graduated from college and set out to find his way in the world. After a few setbacks, he decided to join the US Navy. But after only four days of boot camp, his mother received a call that changed everything.
The US Navy diagnosed her son with bipolar disorder and discharged him from the navy.
Told through a combination of personal narrative and correspondence, Email to Heaven outlines the immense efforts made by Flinn and her family on Robert's behalf-and the tremendous roadblocks they faced due to this country's virtually nonexistent system for mental health care.
A troubling look at how mental health is viewed, treated, and, too often, left untreated in America, Email to Heaven will bring comfort to those whose loved ones have faced similar nightmares and challenge all of us to help find solutions that work for everyone involved.
About the Author: Emma Northup Flinn graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism. Passionate about photography, Flinn worked as a photographer and a stringer for the Boston Herald-American before moving to Hollywood, Florida, and working as a full-time photographer for the Hollywood Sun-Tattler.
Flinn raised two sons, both of whom graduated from college. When the US Navy diagnosed her son Robert with bipolar disorder, Flinn became a tireless advocate on his behalf.
