SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (March 9, 2025) – Twenty-nine-year-old Julianna Druyor has the words “never alone” tattooed on her wrist — a message that she wants people experiencing mental illness to remember, and something that she reminds herself of daily.
Druyor, who lives in Mesa and has battled mental health issues since junior high, found a way to give back to behavioral health patients to help them feel a bit less alone during their hospital stay. With the help of her family and bible study group, she began putting together care packages for patients at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital, where she once was a patient. Druyor recently delivered one of the donations — about 50 bags — with her mother, Angie, at the hospital.
“Mental illness can be extremely isolating,” Druyor said. “Giving out these bags that are personally curated and decorated helps patients to know that there are other people out in the world who actually care about them.”
From comfortable socks to coloring books and handwritten letters with messages of hope, Druyor puts together the thoughtful packages to brighten patients’ days based on her own experiences in the hospital.
Druyor has struggled with bipolar disorder and severe anxiety and was in and out of the hospital from 2017 to 2022. When she was at the hospital, her parents would come to visit and bring things like comfortable clothes that she was allowed to wear. Since 2023, Druyor’s mental health has improved dramatically and she said she never imagined she’d be a person who’d be able to give back in such a way.
“This isn’t solving the problems people face when they leave, but it offers them comfort in the hospital,” she said. “I’m not perfectly recovered — I still have struggles. But it’s important to remember that you can still give back even if you’re not perfect.”
About Banner Behavioral Health Hospital
Banner Behavioral Health Hospital is part of nonprofit Banner Health. Located in Scottsdale, Ariz., Banner Behavioral Health offers safe, confidential and compassionate treatments for adults, adolescent teens and children facing mental health and substance-abuse challenges. Its nonprofit services are located throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area for those who need help with psychiatric and addiction issues. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/bannerbehavioral.
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