Mental Health, Autobiography, Family, Disability 

Melisande Randall was raised in a household where her mother’s mood disorder went undiagnosed and untreated for decades. Born with albinism, she has struggled with race and color issues, disability issues, women’s issues, and mental health issues while hiding under the “invisible umbrella” of toxic parentage. In this short autobiographical piece, she delves into the difficulties of her upbringing, but ends her story on a positive note, sharing the tools she has used to help her survive, heal and grow as a struggling Christian, single mother, and broken daughter. While work is in progress, Melisande hopes, in time, to fully rebuild her sense of self, reclaim her womanhood, and reconstruct her identity with both positivity and spirituality. Having kept journals most of her life, writing has proven to be a great catharsis. It has been a means of healing and coping in the wake of societal stigma associated with family dysfunction and mental illness.