Episode 15: Geraldine and Cindy Akathisia Stories

On this episode, we hear from Geraldine and her daughter, Cindy. In 2015 Geraldine's ex-husband, Louis, Cindy's dad, ended his life at age 63, the victim of prescription drug-induced akathisia.

[Geraldine] The fact that the doctors kept him on the drugs and didn’t – you know, they don’t brush up and figure out there’s got to be a better way. We can’t just keep doubling up the medication because this man is frantic and calling them at different hours, you know, all hours.

[Cindy] He was never suicidal until the akathisia. You know, he did struggle obviously with the depression and anxiety but he never talked about not being able to go on or suicide or anything like that until it was ramped up with the akathisia.

Geraldine grew up in Brooklyn and, later, Queens, New York. Spending time in Manhattan, she developed an interest in the arts and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. She got married and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her son, Ben, was born. When Ben was 2, Geraldine returned to New York and her second child, Cindy, was born in Westchester. It was there that she raised her children and worked in a family advertising business. After retiring and moving to Sarasota, Florida, Geraldine studied and developed a passion for drawing and painting. Other interests she has pursued are yoga, tai chi, dance, philanthropy, and volunteering with children and seniors. She now has two grandchildren, ages 7 and 10.

Cindy grew up in the suburbs of New York City, and now lives in Oakland, California, working as a functional/integrative dietitian. Having lost her dad, Louis, in 2015, she’s been involved in suicide and akathisia awareness, education, and support ever since. As a former journalist, she's an avid researcher, and after her father's death, she found Chicago-based MISSD and resonated with its mission. Living in Chicago at the time, she thought it was a perfect organization to get involved in as a way to honor her dad's memory and spread awareness about potential medication side effects. She did her own extensive grief work and joined the board soon after her dad's death. She believes talking about your experiences and listening to others going through something similar helps with the healing process and from feeling isolated or alone in your pain. She adopted a rescue dog, Finley, within a year of her own loss and loves spending time with the dog on the many Bay Area trails. Cindy dabbles in a variety of hobbies in her down time, including traveling, cooking, yoga, learning the ukulele, and fiber arts.

Read the episode transcript: https://www.studiocchicago.com/geraldine-and-cindy-transcript

Find the main podcast page at www.studiocchicago.com/akathisia-stories