January First

Michael Schofield

A Child’s Descent into Madness and Her Father’s Struggle to Save Her

January First

“A brilliant and harrowingly honest memoir, January First is the extraordinary story of a father’s fight to save his child from an extremely severe case of mental illness in the face of overwhelming adversity.”  -Goodreads

It is every parent’s objective to keep their child safe and to provide them the tools to find happiness.  For Michael Schofield, this goal became a desperate dream on the day his 6 year old daughter, “Jani”, was diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Jani’s erratic and often harmful behavior takes the family on a dizzying and frustrating journey to find correct diagnosis and effective treatment.  Beneath the fear, heartbreak and anger over the disease and the lack of available resources, is the unrelenting love of two parents, Michael and Susan Schofield, who learn to live for the moments - moments where I see her smile, moments when I have hope, moments when I feel at peace with our future, whatever might come our way.

Learn more about January First here.

Follow Jani’s Journey on Michael Schofields’s blog.