Many people, unless they have experienced mental illness in their family or own home, do not have an idea about how someone with such an illness behaves or if there is any hope for recovery. The media is left to educate through television or movies, and the usual depiction of someone with such an illness is someone who is psychotic and violent. Brenda McAninch in her book, As the Ice Thaws, presents hope for those with bipolar illness and for those who live with them. Brenda McAninch started her career teaching elementary grades. She worked with all levels of students, but her proudest achievement was starting and directing an afterschool program. While working with college students, she began to see the path of some as similar to hers. She has taken a risk in revealing her struggles with bipolar illness and shows how her personal God stepped in for her in specific ways.