**Author Interview** Sandy's Gift: Walking With the Light by William P. Dunn IV **Review**

Book Title:   Sandy's Gift: Walking With the Light by William P. Dunn IV
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction,   316 pages
Genre:  Memoir / Spiritual / Psychology
Publisher:   Cedar Forge
Release date:  February 14, 2017
Format available for review:  print
Will send print books for review to:  USA 
Tour dates:  March 13 to 24, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (This book is rated PG+M because of mature subject / mental illness. No obscenity or sex.)

Book Description:

More than 15 million adults and their immediate families in America today must cope with a patient suffering from severe mental illness. In too many cases, these families cannot or do not know how to get help for their loved ones.

SANDY’S GIFT: WALKING WITH THE LIGHT (Cedar Forge, 2017, softcover) by William P. Dunn IV is an intimate and shocking true story that tells of the tragic plight of Sandra Dunn, a mother and loving wife whose life takes a tragic turn when she suddenly falls victim to severe mental illness; how the healthcare profession and the law prevented her from getting the treatment she needed; how it destroyed her family and nearly got them killed. By sharing his story, Dunn hopes that people will have a better understanding of the ravages of mental illness and know how to cope with them better.

Review:
 This book intrigued me because not only do I enjoy memoirs but one of my minors in college is clinical psychology. On the other hand, I have always found it difficult to 'review' memoirs. That said...this was a very honest and poignant read. I have known about HIPAA for quite some time having my mother and other relatives in the medial field. I got a closer and deeper look into it while earning my bachelors in psychology. Like other healthcare laws, it has flaws. One thing that seems to be new to conversations these days is mental illness; trying to get the stigma removed and educating the general public. This memoir gives a very honest look at the healthcare system, how many people and families have to care for their loved ones with mental illness. This is a story not easily forgotten, and a true tale of mental illness from a personal scope. 

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Meet the Author:

​
William P. Dunn IV worked on Wall Street in the U.S. Government bond market where he worked his way up from the back office to the trading desks. After twenty years on Wall Street, he became a financial advisor in northern New Jersey. He continues to work as an investment advisor. He is a graduate of Thiel College where he earned a dual degree in Economics and Business Administration. Today he lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and is a proud grandfather.

Author Q & A:

1. What made you write this book?

2. Who provided the most encouragement and support in the writing of Sandy’s Gift?

3. What was the most difficult part of the book to write?

4. What was the most satisfying part of the book to write?

5. What advice do you have for families who have someone suffering from severe mental illness?

1) At first, I was extremely angry and my thought was to take revenge against the so-called public servants of New Jersey for the hell they had made for my family and me. But after a chance meeting in 2008 with a medium, my thoughts changed because of a certain events subsequent to that meeting. I came to believe that is I shared this tragic love story—for that is what it is—others may be spared the fate my family suffered.

2) I wrote this all by myself and now that it is finished I can bring closure for myself. In 2014, Cheryl Whitemore and Gordon Ward both read the original manuscript. Gordon was amazed and said it was “a new Forrest Gump."  Cheryl was just as awestruck as he was and told me I have lived an incredible life. I replied I just worked hard all the time.

3) The most difficult were the first nine chapters as I cried as I wrote them and then I put it down for some time. The second part of the story took 160 days. It was slow because I needed to cross reference all dates from court transcripts, medical reports, and other documents to ensure that my account was factual and accurate. 

4) The epilogue. It was a summation of all that I felt and thought about the tragedy that had befallen us as well as what I thought about the participants involved in it.

5) Don't trust anyone but yourself.  The so-called experts are many times wrong when dealing with mental illness.  Be prepared to do whatever you need to do to make sure the patient gets the medical attention they need and deserve.