Author Description

This memoir tells of Alex’s medical journey, an insanely bumpy ride that goes to unimaginable extremes. In searching for a diagnosis, incorrect results of genetic testing and many other issues resulted in absolute confusion for him and his family. That confusion led to wild searches for answers throughout his teenage years and well beyond, which included multiple months-long stays in various inpatient psychiatric facilities, treatment centers, and other medical attempts at successful intervention. When all else seemed to fail, they even turned to extreme spiritual interventions, such as time spent at faith-healing churches, one-on-one sessions with radically religious counselors, and multiple exorcisms.<br/><br/>Open Water details that journey and communicates many of the lessons that he learned from it and hopes others can benefit from as well. The goal is to ensure that those who might be dealing with similar conditions never have to feel as darkly alone as he did at times, going through his own many-years-long search for a diagnosis and learning to live with a disability. Alex stresses that if reading this can help just one person going through anything even remotely similar to what he went through to feel less alone or desperate or afraid, it will all be worth it to him. He hopes that any such individual’s family or close friends are able to process and understand better what is happening as they move forward as well.<br/><br/>The title, Open Water, is a visual comparison carried throughout the story. Like open water, life can be absolutely beautiful and sometimes terrifyingly stormy as well, with moments when the only choice is just trying to swim and stay above the surface. Times of relative serenity still bring with them the fear of the unknown, not knowing what lies below the murkiness around us. The only thing to do is keep pressing on in hopes of eventually finding clarity.