Participant Spotlight: Ann Salmon, PROS

Hi Ann! How are you this morning? What have you been up to?

There are a lot of things that I’ve been up to that are going on with me right now. I have groups today. 

Nice! So, how long have you been in PROS, and how did you find out about the program? 

I used to go to the program in downtown Brooklyn and they connected with PROS. So I came here, and I’ve been here since then. It’s been probably 15 to 20 years because I’m 61 now. I’ve been going through ups and downs with my family and stuff, but PROS is like a family. 

Did you enroll in the program yourself, or did you have a friend or family member who referred you? 

No, I went to it by being in the hospital. The hospital connected me to the program downtown, and I’ve been here ever since. When you have people here that care, who you love, you don’t want to leave. 

If you don’t mind telling me, what diagnoses do you have?

Bipolar. Anxiety. Yeah. Hearing voices and stuff like that. 

How has PROS helped you manage your diagnoses?

I get help knowing my triggers and learning coping skills, and I learn about my symptoms and stuff like that, what to do and how to handle it. And you have to take your medicine. The people here are great. I can tell you that because I’ve been here. They’re awesome. The thing that I learned here is that we cannot control other people. I can only control myself. And I learned that from therapy and stuff like that in the past. I can also talk to my doctor and my peers here and let them know exactly what’s going on with me and whatnot. And [PROS staff] always call you when they don’t see you for a couple of days. They make sure to call you and see how you’re doing. 

Do you have friends in the program who have also been there for a while?

Yes, I have a lot of friends, and when I’m around them, I’m okay. I’m happy and I forget about what I’m going through.  But the thing about it is, you have to be honest to them. So honesty to me is key, because if you aren’t honest with them, how are they going to help you? Everything I go through, I tell them. 

You said you have groups at PROs that you get to be a part of. What kind of groups are they?

I have No Worries and Be Cool. Those are the two groups that talk mostly about your triggers and your illness. We have a garden, and you can do gardening to help you through stress or whatever you’re going through. And you do artwork to focus and take you off of what you are going through. We have women’s and men’s groups and all of those things. 

Are there certain staff members who you’ve gotten to know well? 

Mostly every one of the staff members. I get along with all of them. They’re all pretty great. They show their love, and if they didn’t show their love, I wouldn’t be here. 

It’s really great to hear that you’ve had such a good experience at PROS.

Yeah, and over and over and over. My experience cannot end. I’m going to be here until Jesus is ready for me.