“I will never forget the doctor’s words, ‘We think Brooke should be hospitalized.’ My daughter gave me the courage to be authentic and not view a diagnosis as a cloak of shame.”
‘How did I make those decisions?’ Like so many times before, I was so confused and broken.’: Mom with bipolar disorder shares mental health journey
‘4 different times in one year, I attempted to take my own life.’: Mom shares journey with mental health, suicidal ideation
“I regret not seeking help sooner.”
‘She will be in a wheelchair her entire life.’: 6-year-old walks for first time after widowed dad raises 100k for life-changing surgery
“She has defied all odds.”
Cheslie Kryst Should Still Be Here
“I didn’t know her, but we all know a lot of hers.”
‘If you know someone struggling, don’t tell them what they should or shouldn’t be doing; just listen, then validate.’: Woman shares reminder ‘there is no shame in not having it all together’
“When I went through a separation, I was scared of public opinion. I wasn’t heard by many, I was told what I should be doing. Not many people just wanted to know how I was or just listened before judging or having an opinion. But the people who did sure did save me.”
‘I was in a ball in the corner of the flight with a barf bag, blanket, and epic amount of guilt.’: Woman recounts journey with panic attacks
“I was basically drugging myself up to deal with life. It was like putting a small Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”
‘Don’t say anything. You don’t want to be taken from home, do you?’ We hid in our rooms, afraid of the people supposed to keep us safe.’: Child trauma survivor marries best friend, finds meaning of ‘real love’
“All I knew was I was scared of ‘love.’ I didn’t want it. In fact, I wanted to run from it like it was the plague. I wish I could go back and hold myself like I held my siblings. I wish I could tell little Jas that real love was coming. An angel on earth. The most adorable, bi-racial boy with the biggest dimples and largest afro I had ever seen.”
One Day I Packed Up My Comfortable Life, And Started Chasing My Wildest Dreams
“I was leaving everything behind for a childhood fantasy, a job in a K-12 campus I’d never even seen, and a house I’d only looked at online. I cried on the road, wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Then I heard my dad’s voice echo in my mind from those 31 years ago: ‘You can be anything you want, anywhere in the world.’ And then I lost him. To suicide.”
‘I failed at death, and that is a failure I’ll wear proudly.’: Suicide attempt survivor shares important mental health message
“Depression and anxiety are LOUD if you don’t seek help. I just wanted to quiet the voices.”
‘I remember coming home from school, seeing you on the couch. You didn’t ask me how my day was. I get it now, mom.’: Mom battling depression, suicidal ideations says ‘your illness doesn’t make you a bad mom’
“It’s not that you didn’t want to get off the couch, it’s that you couldn’t. Your mind was so sick it made you physically unable to function. It made you so tired the most simple tasks felt like climbing Mt. Everest.”