STROKE OF MADNESS w/Michael & Matt Stick

Michael and Matt Stick share their story of the devastating effects of mental illness and the power of unconditional love. It is their hope that no family ever has to experience the unspeakable horror, fear, unimaginable pain and grief that their family has had to endure. Matt speaks openly of his recovery journey from serious mental illness; refusing to hide, refusing to allow stigma and judgment to silence him. As advocates, Michael and Matt talk about mental illness to help others to understand that these illnesses are brain disorders. They are just as real as any other and deserve early intervention and treatment. In sharing their stories, they believe that they can bring healing and understanding to this world

In Michael’s Words
Art is a blessing to those of us who admire it as well as to those who create it. My name is Michael Stick. For my thirty-two-year-old son Matt, art is also therapeutic. It is his healing and life. My son has been diagnosed with a mental illness called bipolar one disorder with psychotic features. On October 5, 2012, Matt’s illness was undiagnosed, and he suffered a psychotic break. He entered a new reality in his mind, one filled with the voices and visions of demons. As a pastor’s son, he grew up in a church where he heard me preach about spiritual warfare. On that fateful day, Matt became fully psychotic and believed he was in that spiritual world.
 
Matt was home alone with his mother, my wife Veronica. He saw and heard demons possessing and hurting her. He knew he had to save her so, in an act of love, he destroyed the demons with a knife capable of slaying them. In reality, he stabbed his mother in the heart and killed her almost instantly. He spent two and one-half years in jail before his trial where he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was sent to the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita, Oklahoma. In July 2024, he received conditional release and is now home.
 
Matt draws constantly, and the doctors believe that art is a major part of his healing process. He has been symptom-free for over nine years and is doing wonderfully. As his father, I have loved and supported him throughout this nightmare and continue to do so. Matt has an older brother and younger sister who also love and support him completely.
 
Nothing can ever prepare a person to lose two people they love, especially in this way. That day, I lost my wife to death and lost my son to mental illness. The psychotic blackouts that had been occurring, which we knew nothing about, were a prelude to the full-blown psychosis he experienced that day.
 
I can still see Matt come up behind Veronica as she sits on the couch. He would reach over it and wrap his arms around her. I can hear the inflection in his voice as he would say, “I love you mama” and kiss her on the cheek. My son would never intentionally harm his mother. They had a great relationship and he loved her more than anything. She knew that her mental illness had been passed to him and she understood what it was like to battle it each day. I struggle to understand the pain and sorrows of the daily war with depression but I’m trying. I love my son and I’ll spend the rest of my life taking care of him.

In Matt's Words
​I write these words with a somber spirit and a broken heart that may never heal. Twelve years ago, I lost my mother, Veronica Stick, in the most horrific way I can imagine. I’m writing this to share hope with those who are lost, broken, mourning, and hopeless. As much as I sometimes wish I could forget about what happened, my mother’s memory and the love and compassion that she taught me, follow me every day. I’ll never forget everything she's done for me and everything she was. I miss her so much and I want to do everything possible to honor her memory.

I hope my father and I can take this tragedy and turn it around to help people. Hopefully, our story will prevent a similar tragedy from happening to someone else. My mother is on my mind almost 24/7. I’ll never forget her or the influence she had on my life. I will always love her. ∎

Michael and Matt are the authors of the book, “A Father’s Love: A Story of the Devastating Effects of Mental Illness and the Power of Unconditional Love”. This story demonstrates the unconditional love of a father for his son and the faith that sustained them through the unthinkable circumstances of psychosis and loss. Art is Matt’s passion and his healing; his work can be found at www.artbymattstick.com.