“There’s nothing I want more than to see his beautiful smile. But part of being in love with someone struggling with mental health is dealing with the ugly. It’s true what they say. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. But there’s also a damn dimmer switch in that tunnel too.”
‘There’s no quick fix. There WILL always be a next panic attack, a next day of self-harm or cloud of doubt. I started to feel I wasn’t enough for him. I couldn’t pray away the dark times.’
‘I was almost a school shooter. I had 2 locations mapped out. The bullying became unbearable. But 2 things stopped me, and altered the course of my life.’
“Mike took me in that night, letting me sleep in his room against his parents’ wishes, sneaking me leftovers from dinner. He helped me wash my clothes and let me take a shower. I hadn’t shared my feelings with anyone, but someone was watching.”
‘I whispered to myself, ‘It’s going to be okay.’ The silence in the room was deafening. I held my breath as the wand slid over my stomach.’
“To the woman who wondered if sharing a photo of a dead baby was necessary on my feed. Yes. That baby, the one you ‘didn’t have time to look away from,’ is my daughter. Her name is Dorothy, and I wish I could see her face right now.”
‘Come on, why are you doing this?’ I wasn’t intoxicated, but I just couldn’t fight it. I was paralyzed from shock.’: Sexual assault survivor finally accepts mental illnesses in wake of trauma, no longer ‘ashamed’
“I did the unspeakable. Madness took over and I pushed my mom. I always knew there was something wrong with me, but when I lost control on her it became crystal clear. When the police officer asked, ‘What happened?’ I replied, ‘I need help.’ Little did I know that asking and getting help would change everything. I chose love and never looked back.”
