My name is Amanda, but I like to be called Mandy. This website is the story of my life — a journey shaped by childhood loss, rebellion, addiction, treatment, and the long road toward recovery. I’ve lived through some dark chapters, but I’ve also found strength, healing, and hope along the way.
For years, I carried my story quietly, unsure how to make sense of everything I’d been through. I’m writing my autobiography which is my way of honouring the truth of my past, understanding the patterns that shaped me, and giving voice to experiences that so many people live through but rarely talk about.
This isn’t a polished or perfect blog. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s mine.
I share it because I know what it feels like to be lost, to grieve deeply, to run from pain, and to fight your way back toward yourself. If even one person reading this feels less alone, then telling my story is worth it.
Thank you for being here. Whether you’re healing, searching, struggling, or simply curious, I hope you find something here that speaks to you — something that reminds you that recovery is possible, that change is real, and that no one’s story is finished yet.
You’re welcome to explore my posts, my writing, and the small steady steps that make up my recovery journey. The image above is copyright. I studied Visual Arts and have a Diploma and studied Photography and Visual Language at Unitec. I’m in the process of scanning some of my projects and they will be in the blog. There’s three there already about Titirangi street photography. Please check the right side for links to the photography of Titirangi that I undertook for myself. It wasn’t a part of the degree.
My book is currently being written, it will take a long time to cover 60 years of my life. I hope my family and friends appreciate the book. It unfolds for both men and women, the pain that lays with mental illness and the difficult and painful world of abandonment. Which is a genetic vulnerability in my own families lives.
The flip side of it is positive. With mental illness there’s a genius hidden somewhere in the subconsious that can achieve great things, recover and evolve. The abilitity to achieve their own goals and manifest something in this world.
I was told a long time ago by a therapist that I would be able to help a lot of people one day. I’ll never be a therapist but maybe through my artwork and photography, writing and abilities to use software to my advantage someone will learn and grow. Those that suffer will understand. Hopefully their family and friends will also be able to benefit from this as well. The book will cover more of this in a deeper fashion.