Interview of Jo Ann Martin
by
Cristina Cabrera
Jo Ann Martin may give the impression of being a rather quiet, reserved person
before you get to know her, and for the most part, she is. However, this woman
with th soft-spoken voice has accomplished and experienced more in her lifetime
than many would have ever imagined.
Jo Ann Martin started the Riverside DBSA in the fall of 1987 and serves as
Publisher and Editor in Chief of the Riverside DBSA Newsletter. Jo Ann
graciously opens her home to everyone for DBSA meetings and for holiday
barbeques and dinners. She has been a friend and great source of support for
mental health clients throughout the years
Jo Ann feels that her own experience with mental illness has given her insight
and has led her to this point in her life where she can help others. Jo Ann was
first diagnosed with manic depression in the early 1960’s (the same year JFK was
killed). She had already accomplished a great deal up to that point. She grew up
in Lansing, Michigan and at a young age, she discovered her love for music. She
began taking piano lessons at age five and enjoyed singing for as long as she
can remember. In jr. high, she sang in a girl’s trio.
She went on to college and earned her teaching degree. She married and had a
daughter. Her first marriage, however, did not last. Nevertheless, her love for
music was constant. Jo Ann was teaching music in a blind school when her
depression was diagnosed. She remembers being very depressed and then being
manic all summer.
At this time, she began her career as a piano player and singer in nightclubs.
She began playing at the Elks club in Iowa and realized immediately that she did
not want to stay there long. She went to Atlanta, Georgia, got an agent and
played there for three years. When her depression got worse, she went back to
her hometown of Lansing, Michigan and stayed with her folks. She was
hospitalized for the 2nd time in her life – both were about five week stays. She
did not stay with her folks for too long though, because she felt she should be
on her own. It was 1972 and she began performing again at the Holiday Inn.
She moved to Detroit and had some really nice singing jobs from 1973 to 1986.
She enjoyed this time in her life very much. In her pictures, she looked like a
model.
She reminded me of Marlo Thomas because of her look and hairstyles and also her
persona. Marlo Thomas was not afraid to embark on a new television show about a
single girl living on her own. Jo Ann was independent and creating her own
career. She was “That Girl”.
It was in 1983 in Dearborn, Michigan where she started a DBSA group. She had
attended a few DBSA meetings in Chicago. She made a five-hour drive to Chicago
on Mondays, her night off, for the meetings. The first meeting she attended
included only two patients. Shortly after, the meetings grew so large they were
held in an auditorium.
Jo Ann was motivated to start a group in Dearborn so that she and others could
share their feelings and stories.
Jo Ann found four people from the midland area to share their stories and they
put an ad in the paper, asking – “Are you suffering from depression or are you
taking lithium?, etc…” The first meeting was held at the Henry Ford Library and
twenty-five people attended. Fifty people attended the next meeting. The DBSA
group continued to grow and Jo Ann continued to work very hard. She was doing
too much and became depressed. Her doctor increased her medication but that
didn’t work. Then her doctor prescribed a new medication for her called “desryel”.
The combination of lithium and desryel worked and has continued to work great
for Jo Ann. Jo Ann notes that because a medication works well for one person
does not mean it will work the same for someone else. She kept the DBSA meetings
going in Dearborn until 1986, when she moved to California.
By 1986 Jo Ann had met Saul Kent, who would become her husband. She was playing
at a club on the outskirts of Detroit when they met. A friend told her she
should meet this guy and that he knew a lot about vitamins. Jo Ann had just
finished her performance and as she walked toward Saul her opening words were
“This gout is really bothering me.” As Jo Ann remembers, she thinks that was a
pretty funny opening line, but apparently, it worked! She does have a good sense
of humor.
Saul wanted Jo Ann to come with him to California to help him put together a
conference he was going to do at the Disneyland Hotel. Jo Ann hated the cold
weather in Michigan anyways, so she packed up and left. Jo Ann did the brochure
and made all the preparations for the conference. Jo Ann and Saul settled down
and bought a home in Riverside, California.
Jo Ann is a compassionate person. She shows kindness for her loved ones and
continues to care for her aging mother. Before her mother was unable to travel,
Jo Ann took her everywhere with her. She has been a dedicated wife to Saul as he
went through cancer treatment three years ago. Jo Ann looks forward to visits
from her daughter and her husband. She has a passion for the outdoors and enjoys
eating lunch in her garden whenever possible. She is building a small cabin so
she can spend more time with nature and she has many ideas, like planting more
trees to add to the beauty of her property. She loves the simple things in life.
When I asked her why she has dedicated so much of her time to the DBSA group,
she said, “I know, from first hand experience, it’s miserable. But, if you can
come out of it and use all of your knowledge to help others, it’s worth it. It’s
a gift. I have met some wonderful people that I would have never met if it
weren’t for this illness”.