{"id":318788,"date":"2023-01-19T08:53:17","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T16:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/?p=318788"},"modified":"2023-01-20T14:22:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T22:22:47","slug":"retired-boxer-writes-book-about-addicted-daughter-who-died-in-pacific-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/retired-boxer-writes-book-about-addicted-daughter-who-died-in-pacific-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Retired boxer writes book about daughter who died homeless in San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

Distraught over the death of her daughter Shyloh from drug addiction and mental illness on the streets of San Diego, Andrea Nelson wrote a book about Shyloh\u2019s struggle \u2013 and her own \u2013 attempting to save her from herself.<\/p>\n

Most of the story in Nelson\u2019s recently published book, \u201cFort Unicorn and the Duchess of Knothing,\u201d takes place in San Diego. Shyloh was found dead in her tent near Ocean Beach in June 2021. She lived briefly in Spring Valley in 2019 in a space shed named Fort Unicorn. During her last couple of years of life, she lived in or near Pacific Beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent that first agonizing year of grief writing this book,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cThe readings I’ve done have inspired deep and heartfelt discussions, which are motivating me to continue to share our story, diving into the\u00a0tough\u00a0topics: mental illness and addiction (issues touching almost everyone to some degree), trying to save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, and loving unconditionally. It is important to me to share this work of love with the\u00a0city she called home, and in the neighborhood in\u00a0which she spent her last years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson will be sharing her book and story during a visit to San Diego on Feb. 11-12 with appearances at both PB Library at 4275 Cass St. at 3 p.m. on Feb. 11, and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 12 at Warwick\u2019s at 7812 Girard Ave.<\/p>\n

Nelson said Shyloh was not a runaway, but rather a troubled child who relocated to San Diego \u201ctemporarily\u201d to reconnect with her estranged biological father whom Shyloh hardly knew. \u201cShe and I were very close,\u201d said the author. \u201cShe never ran away from home. She got into drugs, and there was (a history of) mental illness in the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noting Shyloh was struggling with \u201csome kind of mood disorder,\u201d Nelson pointed out her daughter was \u201cfully functioning, did well in school, and was really smart and creative.\u201d At age 27, Shyloh felt a \u201cchange of scenery\u201d was in order and traveled to San Diego for a visit.<\/p>\n

But Nelson pointed out she wasn\u2019t aware of the true depth of Shyloh\u2019s problems. \u201cShe was living a double life, struggling with drugs and alcohol and, at the same time, making the honor roll and graduating with honors,\u201d said Nelson. She added that the conclusion became \u201cinescapable\u201d once she got a call during Shyloh\u2019s third year in college, where she was majoring in psychology and criminal justice, informing Nelson that Shyloh had overdosed on heroin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had no clue,\u201d Nelson said of her reaction adding. \u201cShe valiantly kept trying to get out of it (addiction) and just couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

That episode led to what Nelson described as a \u201cdownward spiral\u201d and a \u201croller coaster\u201d ride involving Shyloh\u2019s recurrent rehab, and re-addiction to cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine<\/em>, which ultimately deposited her on the street.<\/p>\n

During her struggles after moving to San Diego, Nelson noted Shyloh would periodically and unexpectedly contact her talking to her about her ups and downs and \u201cthe challenge of living a nomadic life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nelson noted Shyloh\u2019s messages sometimes \u201cmade no sense at all or were just rambling,\u201d or other times referenced \u201cwanting to come home and writing a book about her adventures and struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cToward the end, Shyloh tried to get off her medications, wanted to see if she could do without it,\u201d said Nelson adding her daughter succumbed to a \u201cpsychotic break\u201d at one point.<\/p>\n

Out of touch with Shyloh for long periods, Nelson filed a missing persons report in California on her despite being convinced she was dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI flew out and found her,\u201d said Nelson noting Shyloh turned up living in a vacant lot in Spring Valley in a makeshift tent with old furniture, a space she referred to as \u201cFort Unicorn,\u201d while referring to herself as the \u201cDuchess of Knothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was mentally ill and paranoid and having auditory hallucinations,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cShe would waffle about coming home. But she just ultimately couldn\u2019t put things together to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of what Nelson would like readers to get out of her book, she said: \u201cThe message really is that you can go to the end of the Earth to save someone. But if they don\u2019t really want to be saved, all you can do is love them. And if there is a mental illness \u2013 it is doubly hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrea Nelson book reading\/signing<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2013 The author from Wisconsin will be in San Diego to discuss her recently published book, \u201cFort Unicorn and the Duchess of Knothing,\u201d on Feb. 11-12.<\/p>\n

\u2013 On Saturday, Feb. 11, she will be doing a reading\/discussion at the Pacific Beach Taylor Branch Library, 4275 Cass St., at 3 p.m<\/p>\n

\u2013 On Sunday, Feb. 12, she will be doing a Weekends With Locals book signing at Warwick\u2019s, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla, at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Find her book at fortunicorn.org<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Distraught over the death of her daughter Shyloh from drug addiction and mental illness on the streets of San Diego, Andrea Nelson wrote a book about Shyloh\u2019s struggle \u2013 and her own \u2013 attempting to save her from herself. Most of the story in Nelson\u2019s recently published book, \u201cFort Unicorn and the Duchess of Knothing,\u201d […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":840,"featured_media":318789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11559","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Distraught over the death of her daughter Shyloh from drug addiction and mental illness on the streets of Pacific Beach, Andrea Nelson wrote a book about Shyloh\u2019s struggle \u2013 and her own \u2013 attempting to save her from herself.","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"3","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":{"fb_title":"","fb_description":"","fb_image":"","twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":""},"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11559,11547,11550],"tags":[14290,14995,14996,12755,12543,14994],"class_list":["post-318788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beach-bay-press","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-addiction","tag-andrea-nelson","tag-fort-unicorn-and-the-duchess-of-knothing","tag-homeless","tag-pacific-beach","tag-warwicks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}