Joni Overcame Self-Mutilation, State Hospital and Near Death to Be Alive and Well

Meet Joni. After spending 20 years in the state hospital, she overcame the control that the voices in her head seemed to have over her. She nearly died trying to punish herself through self-mutilation. With help, treatment, support from friends, prayer and determination, Joni was able to find hope. Though she still hears the voices, she has the ultimate voice of victory. We unite with Joni to break the stigma of mental illness."We may have a mental illness but that's not something bad. We can have a cold and get over it and with mental illness we can still get over it. There's hope. We are not alone. There is hope for us!"Alive and Well STL teams up with the For Sake of All project at the St. Louis Science Center to host a forum on emotional well-being. We extended the microphone to participants who wanted to join the conversation.