Alesta Shepard
For Alesta Shepard of Maryvale, learning about mental illness has been a lifelong process of discovery.
The 60-year-old escaped death decades ago after a former co-worker gave her what should have been a lethal amount of PCP. She landed in Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia, for six months where she was treated and misdiagnosed with paranoia schizophrenia.
Along with her healing, came heartbreak and separation from her 9-year-old son. That’s because after she was discharged from the hospital, Shepard moved to Atlanta at age 35 to receive psychiatric rehabilitation at a facility called Community Friendship, Inc., where she was correctly diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Shepard’s mother was granted full guardianship of her son and helped foster their family connection through the years while Shepard made a full recovery in Georgia and her relatives settled into their new life in Arizona.
Shepard couldn’t be prouder of the young man her son has become. He will be marrying later this year and starting a family of his own.
As for Shepard, she has since moved to Phoenix to be closer to her family and celebrates how far she has come with a sense of humbleness.
She is a current straight-A student at Phoenix College, and she is researching educational opportunities at South Mountain Community College and Arizona State University to pursue a degree in creative writing and certification in storytelling.
“This life experience has taught me to never give up on my dreams,” she said. “In spite of all the setbacks, I’ve learned that where I end up depends entirely on my decisions.”
All signs point toward a happy ending for Shepard.
She has developed a niche telling sacred stories focused with motivational and spiritual messages and hopes to share her talents with faith-based organizations in the future.
