For nearly 20 years, Shelly Sood lived with a man who suddenly morphed from a picture-perfect spouse into a “cold, vengeful, monster.” Unbeknownst to them, he had bipolar disorder, and, as Shelly will point out, 90 percent of marriages involving a bipolar spouse end in divorce. Shelly separated from her banker husband for nearly two years but never lost hope that the man she fell in love with would re-emerge. She has remained in the marriage, resolved to be his advocate, and helped save his life: “I am victim of his disorder, not his abuse. If he couldn’t fight for himself, I would fight for him,” she vowed. Her message to anyone coping with a similar spouse is simple: “Never give up or let anyone tell you it is hopeless.” She can discuss the symptoms associated with bipolar disorder and why the mental illness is often misdiagnosed. She is the author of the upcoming memoir, “Untethered,” a mother of three children, and a founding partner of GIOSTAR Chicago, a company that offers regenerative medicine therapies. Her memoir is being modified for film by Hollywood producers. She has an MS in information systems from DePaul University in Chicago. Contact Shelly at (312) 401-3495; shelly@giostarchicago.com
