ML - Michigan Avenue

2014 - Issue 3 - May/June

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIA PONCE BERRE I n two seasons with the Chicago Bears, All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Marshall has racked up 218 recept ions, nea rly 3,0 0 0 ya rds, a nd 23 touchdowns. But it's off the field where Marshall may end up making an even greater impact. In 2010, after being diagnosed with borderline per- sonality disorder, the 30 -year-old Florida native joined w ife M ich i to est ablish T he Bra ndon Marshall Foundation and raise awareness about mental health issues. As the two prepare several initiatives for Mental Health Awareness Month in May (including lighting the skyline lime green, the cause's signature color), they sit down with Michigan Avenue to discuss their passion for the cause and their vision for the foundation's future. People st ill aren't necessarily comfortable talking about mental health. What inspired you both to publicly devote your energies to this cause? Michi Marshall: I went to school for forensic psycholog y a nd worked in t he f ield for a few years, so I've always been very passionate about [mental health]. Also, my mom had her PhD in psycholog y, [which is another reason] it is very close to my heart. I never quite knew how close it would become until Brandon was diagnosed. Brandon Marshall: You spend time searching for answers and trying to figure out your purpose in life, and especially as men, sometimes it never seems good enough. I was always searching for more than football, and when I was fighting my f ight in Boston, sit t ing in g roup t herapy [at McLean Hospital], that's when it hit me that this was my purpose—our purpose. It was pretty cool. For Michi to have a deg ree in psycholog y and Seeing Green CHICAGO BEARS STAR BRANDON MARSHALL AND WIFE MICHI SHINE A LIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH. BY J.P. ANDERSON continued on page 80 Brandon Marshall's personal battle led the football pro and his wife, Michi, to write a new playbook. 78 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY 078-083_MA_SP_SOG_May/June_14.indd 78 4/14/14 2:19 PM

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