The Girl Who Cried "Wolf!": A Memoir

The Girl Who Cried “Wolf!” is the heroic story of Nancy Jensen’s journey through mental illness to recovery. Raised in small-town Colorado Nancy learned early to depend on church support. A challenging family life combined with further challenges in school left her searching for God and family elsewhere. Her search led her to Newton, Kansas, where she found a home first in a communal church before spending just over a year at Kaufman House. Kaufman House was supposed to be a great and progressive place for mentally ill. It was not. When she tried to blow the whistle, she found that no one believed her. She was the girl who cried “Wolf!” Almost 20 years later Arlan and Linda Kaufman were taken to trial. With the help of Nancy’s testimony the federal government found both guilty. Since then Nancy has worked to pass a law preventing such oversight in the future, received the prestigious Voice Award, and is currently a member of the Sedgwick County Mental Health Advisory Board. After a lifetime of mental illness she has taken control of her treatment including eliminating medications and dropping-off government support in order to work full-time.