My name is Jessi Lepine. I am Canadian, 32 years old, married to a psychiatric nurse, and we have a 13 month old baby girl. I work in mental health as Therapeutic Programming Lead on a Geriatric Psychiatry Program at the same hospital where my husband works.  I am the third person in my immediate family to be diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.  My first manic episode came one year after my brother took his life in 2005. It was a long road to recovery, and thankfully I have been stable for almost 3 years. With a solid nutrition, medication and sleep routine, a strong support network and invaluable resources like the International Bipolar Foundation, I have been able to maintain stability, and have found success in my career and family life.  This roller-coaster-ride of living with Bipolar Disorder literally has its ups and downs, but luckily there are also times when life is steady, manageable, happy and calm. I am very excited to be able to write a blog for this amazing foundation, I am honored to be among such talented blog writers whose stories have helped me immensely to learn healthy ways to cope over the last several years.