“My father had an ulcer that became infected. It was relatively...

“My father had an ulcer that became infected. It was relatively simple to cure but he refused to believe the doctors. Instead he diagnosed himself with some sort of virus. He stopped taking his medicine. He created his own ointments instead. He’s very intelligent so his reasoning could sound very convincing. It was hard to identify when it crossed the line into mental illness. But the infection never healed. He went from surfing and swimming every day to barely being able to walk. He aged twenty years. And still he refused to go to a doctor. He’d isolate himself from anyone who challenged him. When he finally collapsed and was admitted to a hospital, the doctors said he had the lowest red blood cell count they’d ever seen. Only then did he accept that things were out of his control. He’s much healthier now. He’s almost back to normal. He’ll occasionally fall into the old script of defending his actions– but he manages to catch himself.”

(Sydney, Australia)