Culture and Society Author: Brian Jardine

Of the many prizes one can win when playing spin the wheel on prize wheels, few could fathom the possibility of winning a second chance at life. What is meant by a second chance at life? Consider the following story.

John sat in the bathroom, his sobbing clearly heard through the locked door. At four in the morning, Lauren was obviously distressed to hear the love of her life so clearly unhappy.

"John, honey, what’s the matter?" she tried the knob, a feeling of panic spreading throughout her chest. Her husband had locked himself in the bathroom and refused to answer her questions. He had seemed depressed for the past few weeks. Was he trying to commit suicide?

"Honey, whatever is wrong" she paused, trying to catch her breath. Her pulse was racing, beads of sweat forming on her forehead despite the cool temperature in the room, "we can work it out. Please come out of here, John, so we can talk."

In horror, Lauren heard the distinct sound of a body falling to the floor. A call to EMS and a few hours in the emergency room later, John lay unconscious but alive on a hospital bed in a private room. His attending physician had ordered a psych evaluation and Lauren waited nervously for the psychiatrist to arrive. What could have made her husband do such a thing? Finances were good, everyone in the family was healthy. It just did not make sense.

Despite several prescriptions and multiple visits to a therapist, John continued to suffer from severe depression. Finally, one October night John found the help he had desperately been searching for.

In group therapy, the psychologist decided to use prize wheels to help his patients find peace. When John’s turn to spin the wheel came, it became evident to his therapist and he that the answer may have finally come. It had landed on "volunteer at a local hospital" and, without hesitation, John decided to scale back his six figure income career as vice president of a local manufacturing company and spend some quality time helping others.

Amazingly, within weeks John was back to his old, happy self. To this day, he continues to thrive by volunteering his time with those in most need of his help. While some may argue that the cause of John’s depression was a highly stressful job, he adamantly maintains that he simply needed to spin that wheel to realize that his purpose was more than working eighty hours a week at a manufacturing company.

While prize wheels may not seem to be the most effective tool for enlightenment, at least one psychologist found a way to use this versatile marketing tool to bring peace to those who were suffering.

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