The Virginia Braslan Calhoun Story
My name is Carol and I have been affiliated with a wonderful and caring, local non-profit called Crisis Connection for the past 7 years. It's become so important to me that I'm now serving as the Board President.
Let me tell you how I got involved. At the time, it was via a simple request from a close business contact that Crisis Connection needed help reducing telephone expenses, and I was a Telecom manager. I agreed to help with these technical details, but in so doing, learned about the difference this organization was making in people's lives!
Then, two years ago, while doing genealogy research I discovered a tragic story within my own family that really set in my heart the importance of the work we do at the Crisis Connection—Virginia’s Story.
My Dad had always been told that his grandmother (my great-grandmother) Virginia Braslan Calhoun died after the birth of her fifth child. No one looked into this story. Several family members knew of a nervous breakdown; however, my Dad wasn't one of them.
The truth was that she likely suffered from serious post-partum depression. Along with additional stressors such as an openly unfaithful husband and his failed business ventures, she fell apart. She was committed to a private mental health facility in Wisconsin. She would never return home. She was transferred to a mental health institution in Rochester, MN and finally a nursing home in Bloomington, MN where she died in 1973. She was even given a lobotomy in the 1950's.
So friends, she was not dead at all! The shame of family mental illness forced my beloved grandmother and her four siblings to "never tell"! I was 8 years old and my Dad was in his 30's when she died. I recently found her grave at Lakewood cemetery less than a mile from my current home, but secretly buried far from the family plot in that same cemetery.
Ashamed, my family hid this lovely woman who may have returned to her family with proper medication, counseling, and family support. I wish that my own family could have had Crisis Connection's services to get the help they all needed.
There are so many clients today who need these support services. People in crisis should not be "hidden away" to suffer alone. I believe that we should support caring and available organizations such as Crisis Connection proudly, openly, and generously. For me, it's personal! I would consider it a personal favor if you would make a gift to Crisis Connection, in any amount. If you wish, I would be pleased to personally give you a first hand look at this wonderful agency – and since we’re open 24/7, this can be done literally at any time.
Thank you for taking a moment to read about Virginia and for your support of the Crisis Connection. For more information call 612-852-2200.