Hi, my name is David McCannon and I live in Athens, GA.  I was born on December 24, 1970 in Augusta, GA, but I was raised in Athens; so I call Athens my home town.
 

My mom was divorced while my sister and I were young, so she raised us on her own.  We were poor and it was hard to make ends meet, but she did the best she could.
 

I struggled in school, and I was eventually diagnosed as having a learning disability. But with good teachers and a lot of hard work, I was able to graduate from high school with honors.
 

Over the years, I have struggled a lot with emotional problems.  They affected my ability to hold a steady job.  I worked five years for the University of Georgia, and then I got very depressed after trying to live on my own.  I realized that I did not make enough money to live on my own.  I tried going to college two years earlier, but I could not keep up with the work load because of my learning disability.  I felt like a useless failure and I tried to commit suicide with over the counter sleep medication.  I made attempt after attempt and I spent the entire summer of 1996 in and out of Psychiatric hospitals.  Antidepressants did not work, and I tried ECT.  I lost my job at UGA, but I got better when my doctor put me on Wellbutrin.
 

In September 1996, I got a job at General Time.  I worked in plastics as a machine operator.  Eventually I was promoted to material handler.  I worked with plastic injection molding machines doing color changes, and recycling plastic scrap. My job was eliminated in January 2000.  I found another job and the plant closed.
 

In January 2000, I started to work at White Cap as material handler.  All they made was plastic bottle caps. I worked there 3 years.
My mother died January 1, 2002.  I fell into another great depression.  Like in 1996, I was in and out of Psychiatric hospitals.  I had ECT again.  In February 2003, I had a major suicide attempt and I almost died.  I spent three days in ICU in a coma.  I lost the ability to work.  It took three years, but I was put on SSI Disability.
 

I was finally diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder.  With the right medication, I got better; but there is no cure for Bipolar Disorder.  Over the years, people thought that I had no faith in God.  I would get, "You are living in sin, if you really wanted it, you could have victory over this."  It was good news to find out that faith had nothing to do with my problem.  My mind was sick and I needed medication for it.
 

David McCannon

Hobby: Olympic Pin Collecting