In 2004, Mindy begins hearing a voice in her head, someone she calls "Joe," and sees signs everywhere that hold mysterious clues only for her. What she doesn't know at the time is that she is experiencing her first schizophrenic episode. For the next decade, she oscillates between two worlds -- a normal life and a secret voice-filled one -- until she begins the journey of merging her two worlds back into one. Becoming Whole documents her onset of schizophrenia and the subsequent years spent learning about it and how to live with it. It is her journey to find solace. Although 75 million worldwide and 3.2 million in the United States suffer from schizophrenia, Mindy's story uniquely shows how, contrary to popular opinion, not everyone with schizophrenia stops living independently. This book speaks to those suffering from the illness, those who are isolated by any mental illness, or anyone who has felt caught between two worlds. Becoming Whole is a powerful memoir about one brave woman's determination to understand an incomprehensible illness, and how love and friendship have no regard for stigma.