06/24/2023
🎉We're thrilled to honor Dawn Mehra, President of NAMI Far North, as our Board Member of the Month! 🎉
Dawn's Bio:
Hi! I am Dawn and I have been your NAMI FarNorth Board Chair since 2019, just before COVID took over the planet. Born in eastern Pennsylvania, I left the nest at 17 and actually grew up in Idaho while attending college in Moscow, graduating with two degrees: Wildlife Biology and Fisheries Management. Never looking back, I quickly fell in love with Idaho after working statewide with Fish and Game on various projects.
When veterinary medical school in Pullman, Washington took me on a different but parallel path, I settled in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1993 and started North Idaho Animal Hospital with my husband Robert. I fell in love again, this time with Sandpoint, its close-knit community of people, dogs, cats, birds, and yes, parrots, chickens, snakes, and injured wildlife!
My husband and I found NAMI back in 2014 when a close family member began experiencing symptoms of a serious mental illness and was later diagnosed with bipolar and schizoaffective disorder. We had no training in problems of the brain, nor did we know how to navigate the mental health system.
Through the extensive knowledge and support of our local NAMI members, we weaved our way through the dark and lonely path of brain disease, hospitalizations, and ultimate recovery for our loved one. I will also add that our community of friends, law enforcement, and health professionals rallied for us every step of the way, thank you all.
