Chuck Lampert (CL) and Josh Lampert (JL)
CL: You were 19 years old living in Seattle. And talking to you on the phone, you were really out of it and said some frightening things. So, we jumped on a plane, flew across the country. You were paranoid, you had lost a lot of weight. It was a shock, Josh, because I had no idea. You know, nobody prepares you for that.
JL: You guys were empty-nesters, and I moved back in. What was it like having me around the house?
CL: It was difficult. You used to take the car and run it out of gas and leave it all over the city.
JL: Yeah, I remember that.
CL: And you left it blocking a road once, and the police got really mad, and they thought it was me, and they wanted to arrest me. And I kept saying, ”I’m just here to pick the car up.” [Laughs]
JL: Yeah. That’s probably the most embarrassing time.
CL: Because you were struggling, and you had a lot of rage, and you had a lot of anger.
JL: My diagnosis was psychotic depression. You can hallucinate sounds and smells and tastes. And my mistake was doing drugs, because sometimes the line got blurred of what is real and what isn’t.
CL: Yeah.
JL: Other people seemed like they had so much–social relationships and girlfriends, and I was just trying to function. Did you ever give up hope?
CL: Never. There was always a glimmer of yourself in there, and I was not going to let you drop.
JL: I really owe you guys for that. You saved my life, you know.
CL: Well, there’s no debt. You do that for your kids, and someday you’ll make a wonderful dad.
JL: Thanks. What do you think of my life now?
CL: It’s wonderful.
JL: Yeah.
CL: You know, you are back to yourself.
JL: Yeah.
CL: The person that I know.
JL: I’m pretty happy with my life today. I’m doing better than I ever have, you know, I’m working, and I have a lot to look forward to. And I see good things in the future.
CL: Yeah, me too.