9 Comments
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Ellen Austin-Li's avatar

A, I admire how you braided Johnny Manziel's story with that of you & your dear sister, Laura. I can only imagine how difficult this must have been to write. Thank you for sharing this!

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Annette Januzzi Wick's avatar

Thank you. You of course know the depths that someone travels to find themselves in stable place. You've been with me for much of this, hard to imagine its been ten years. You've taught me alot, based on your own experiences with alcohol (and sisters), that has helped me find a place where I can love her.

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Eva's avatar

Beautifully written. Mental illness is still so misunderstood and mistreated. So devastating and heartbreaking to everyone involved with no easy answers. Thank you for sharing.

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Annette Januzzi Wick's avatar

Thank you always to my reader and sage. My parents certainly didn't understand, didn't have the tools at the time to do so. And thus, we have been left with more generations struggling to find their way.

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Tina Neyer's avatar

Annette, this piece took hold of me with such force. Laura's story, yours, that of Johnny Football, so common and yet so unique. Lovely and painful councide as ways for me to describe this post.

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Annette Januzzi Wick's avatar

thank you! you've been with me on this journey for a long time...you know the effort it takes to not only write this, but live it.

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Elisa Speranza (she/her)'s avatar

Heartbreaking and beautiful prose. You really captured the collateral damage to families of untreated mental illness and addiction, and the special grief of watching a sibling slip under the waves. Having lost a sister myself to these intertwined afflictions, my heart goes out to you and your family. Go Browns.

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Bart Barthelemy's avatar

Beautifully written Annette ❤️☀️

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Annette Januzzi Wick's avatar

thank you. the things you learn about your neighbor that you didn't know, right? Also, she was my Buffet buddy, so I'll never tire of hearing Buffet coming off your dock!

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