My husband and I want to thank Dr. Elizabeth McIngvale and the Peace of Mind Foundation for awarding our son Emory a scholarship to attend the 24th Annual OCD Conference in San Francisco, California. Your generous gift allowed our family to come together in this unique setting to meet with and hear from OCD sufferers, their families, and leading OCD experts and treatment providers from across the country. As with most teenagers, especially those who deal with OCD, Emory was hesitant to associate himself with OCD in such a public forum. However, the conference’s revamped pediatric program gave him an opportunity to meet and talk with other teenagers who are troubled by OCD. Emory quickly embraced the teen sessions and surprisingly opted to participate in the teens-only field trip to Union Square. Like Dr. McIngvale, Emory was diagnosed with OCD when he was 12 years old. During the last two years, our family has really struggled to find effective treatment, meaningful solutions, and relevant answers to combat Emory’s OCD. At times, we felt, and occasionally still feel, helpless and alone with no end in sight. As parents, we are pained by Emory’s suffering at the hands of what seems to be a needless and preventable source. In some ways, we are trapped in a “rigged” system, and we worry about what will become of us. However, by allowing us to attend this conference, the Peace of Mind Foundation introduced us to other families who dealing with similar problems. In the end, it was heartening to know that we are not as alone as we thought. Again, thank you very much for this scholarship. We pray God’s blessings on your continued good work.

– Oralia Guinn

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