As part of the annual Press Christmas for All campaign, we share with readers the stories of those who have received help from the program. This is one of them.

When "Bobby" first applied to Press Christmas for All earlier this year, he was single and homeless, living at a St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho shelter.

Bobby lives with bipolar disorder, a condition that causes severe changes to a person's mood, cognitive abilities, energy levels and behaviors. It makes life complicated. Bobby sometimes feels as though he is making strides toward improvement only for his disorder to catch up to him and pull him backward.

Despite trying to keep up on his driver's license and vehicle requirements, Bobby finally accepted the fact that his mental health condition was too much to allow him to be a responsible and safe driver. He invested in a quality mountain bike instead.

"My bike was one ray of sunshine in my life," Bobby said.

This bicycle allowed him the freedom of mobility to run errands and go to doctor appointments until he was hit by a car and the bike was totaled. The wreck also left Bobby with broken ribs.

Without the bike, Bobby's mental health began to deteriorate.

"My bike helped me to make progress," he said. "When I get a new bike, I want to be able to join biking clubs and get out and socialize, get healthy and get to the places I need to go as part of my treatment."

Through Christmas for All and the Heritage Health Street Medicine program as a referring partner, Bobby received an electric bike to once again give him the independence to go to appointments and social events.



Bobby previously focused his energy on his job, his car and having a place to live, but he never prioritized his health. He has now reprioritized his life to get healthy first, which he said is a new way of life for him. He feels his biggest achievements are participating in therapy, taking his medications on time and working toward permanent housing and stability.