Astronaut Buzz Aldrin; storyteller Hans Christian Andersen; actor Jim Carrey; Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II; former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; golfer John Daly; country singer Dolly Parton . . . there is a long list of people who suffer depression and bipolar disorder, he told students.

"Do you make fun of these people? Do you call them names? Do you ridicule them for who they are and for what they have done? No. Look what these people have contributed to our world."

He concluded his comments:

"It has been a long, hard road, but with hard work and a lot of help from family, friends, doctors, therapists, I am standing here today . . . and I'm just like you."

The next year will be crucial for Jake, says his mom. There are decisions to make: whether to commit to a mission for the LDS Church, whether to go to college, whether to move out of his parents' home.

Jake takes one day at a time. This month brought a new challenge.

With the dawning of spring came Jake's birthday on April 4. Because he is now 19, his father's insurance company has tried to dump him. While the family fights the insurance company, Vicki Short worries. It is so important to keep Jake stable and to keep him moving forward, she says. His medications would cost about $1,500 a month without insurance, and she doesn't want that stress on her son.

"It is just outrageous," says Vicki Short. "We just get things stabilized and now this. Of all the things to have to worry about."

"My illness is no different from someone who has diabetes. My chemical imbalance is just in my head, and theirs is in their pancreas. We deserve the same health care and treatment as everyone else in the world with health problems. I have come so far and will continue to work very hard to help others come as far as I have."

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E-mail: lucy@desnews.com; romboy@desnews.com