Cathy Antkowiak-Howard:  

Life I moved to the Ann Arbor MI area in 1974, and have made my life here. I am currently retired due to a physical disability (multiple autoimmune disorders, multiple forms of arthritis and recently was treated for lung cancer). The cancer appears to be in remission. Yea Rah!!! I spend a great deal of time with my family - husband Kevin (m. 1994) who is a musician and a maintenance technician for Washtenaw County government, my son David 31 (from my first marriage) his wife Erica and the adorable grandson they gave me Oliver (almost 2). I also adopted a daughter, Jennifer when she was a teen in 1988.She's 40 now - but swears she's 29 ( she could pass - she's pretty cute!) We live about an hour away from each other but talk at least twice a week so I can catch up on what my granddaughters are up to (ages 19 and 20). One is pregnant and I will be a great grammy in June. Good thing I LOVE babies!!! I'm a volunteer with our county's trauma response team for first responders and critical incidents in the community. That means that if there is a student death (suicide or accident) I will help with crisis counseling at the school or some other community tragedy and I provide crisis/ trauma assistance to first responders (police. fire and ambulance personnel) if they experience a loss or serious crisis or trauma in their ranks. Before my illness in 2007 and subsequent retirement in 2009 I was a social worker. My last position was as the supervisor of one the four Adult community mental health units in our county and I supervised 10-12 staff who were responsible for the mental heath services to approximately 500 severely and persistently mentally ill clients. Prior to that I was a therapist with the same unit specializing in addiction and mental illness and personality disorders. I spent 7 years as a trauma specialist and provided individual and group therapy and cou...Expand for more