If you were dying today, what would your last words most likely be? Most people have no idea. For Linda Bishop, it was a call out to God.
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The specific date and time of Bishop’s death is unknown, but the Washington Post estimates that her passing was somewhere around Jan. 13, 2008.
In May of 2008, Bishop’s body was found in an abandoned New Hampshire farmhouse. The Post reported earlier this week that the mother’s body was decomposed when it was located and surrounded by her only belongings — white Reebok sneakers, socks and two spiral notebooks that acted as her diaries.
After sources went through the journals, they also said, Bishop documented her attempts at survival, her faith and humor. And one of the last entries found in her journal was this: “Dear God, please save me. I’m trying, but I don’t know what to do.”
Multiple news outlets have reported since 2008 on Bishop’s death.
NBC news reported that Bishop was once a vibrant mother who starved to death after being released from a mental hospital in 2007. Bishop landed in the state psychiatric institution after her family placed her there. For two years she refused to take medication, so the facility discharged her.
Bishop’s sister, Joan, told NBC that her sister’s exact diagnosis was never really clear because she refused medication on a daily basis. Joan also said that her sister Linda was convinced she was being stalked by the “Chinese mafia” while at the facility.
When she was released, her family was not notified and due to her mental health condition she starved.
The news station goes on to say that when Bishop wandered into the abandoned farmhouse where she lived “unnoticed” for four months, she was delusional.
NBC News added that the woman suffered from schizophrenia, psychotic affective disorder and/or bipolar disorder, an illness that is classified by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) “as a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.”
Now, almost a decade later, two brothers, Jedd and Todd Wider, have decided to make a film about her story to shine light on mental health illness.
The documentary is titled: “God Knowns Where I Am”
The 97-minute film is currently playing in limited release across the United States.
According to a February 2014 issue of Newsweek, nearly 1 in 5 Americans suffer from mental health illness every year. Statistically speaking, that’s roughly 18 percent of the adult population dealing with issues like depression, post traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia to name a few.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, reach out to health clinics like the Christian Health Care Center in New Jersey.
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