Meet the Biker
-Sandy Derecktor, a high school English teacher in Rhode Island, is biking 3,600 miles across the US this summer in an effort to promote awareness in the workplace and schools against the stigma of mental illnesses. She is also trying to promote the passage of two mental health parity bills now in the U.S. Congress.
-"I see so many of my students whose parents can no longer afford the medication and therapy for their kids. I really see the difference academically with the kids who get treatment."
-Derecktor noted that she has seen many cases where students were bulimic or cutting themselves, resulting in poor marks at school.
-"It was so sad because I see so much potential in these students. Many of them are very talented, but their emotions get the best of them. I've noticed that with therapy, the students have a remarkable turn-around. But those are just the lucky ones. So many of them feel stigmatized about getting the help they need so they just try to pretend nothing is wrong."
-Derecktor plans to raise $10,000 or more for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), a Washington D.C. based non-profit agency, with close to 1,000 chapters throughout the US.
-"Through the bike ride and the media, I hope to raise awareness in the states that I ride through. I think biking is a perfect example of using the whole body, the mental and the physical sides."