
Andy, left, talks with Joey Gaeta in the reception area at Step Up On Second in Santa Monica. Andy, who has bipolar disorder, had cycled in and out of mental institutions and jails for years until treatment at Step Up enabled him to live a productive life. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times / August 7, 2013)
“There is little in Andy’s appearance or manner that offers a clue as to what he’s been through. The arrests, the jailhouse beatings, the commitments. He’s soft-spoken and unassuming, so much so that the story of his life doesn’t seem to go with the man who tells it. I ask how many times he’s been locked up, and now a hint of distress creeps into his eyes. “Maybe 20,” he shrugs, adding that he’s been in mental institutions nearly as many times.” Read more…
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0811-lopez-andy-20130811,0,175788.column