I am a product of a broken home.
My parents divorced when I was 2. My Mom kept me from my Dad for years while making it known she never wanted me. I acted out as a teenager through shoplifting, fighting, running away, and experimenting with drugs.
I left home at 15, became a Mom at 17, and went through multiple emotionally and physically abusive relationships. I struggled with depression and anxiety that went undiagnosed for years.
When I was 18, I found my biological Dad, but we misunderstood each other and couldn’t find common ground.
I had 2 more kids at age 22 and 24, and I worked 2 jobs to make ends meet as a single Mom.
When I was 31, my Dad took his life and it changed me forever.
When I was 33, I took my 16-year-old daughter to see Juice Wrld and Ski Mask for her birthday with 2 of her best friends. It was the happiest I’ve ever seen her.
I’m turning 37 in July and the memories that keep me going are the happy ones. I still have my struggles, but I’m a survivor who’s become a pro at overcoming them. I’ve learned that life is fragile, precious, and not to be taken for granted.
There were times during my life when I wanted to end it all, but after living the past 5 years as the loved one of someone who committed suicide, I realized that life is too short, and that those feelings of hopelessness are temporary.
People will miss you even if you can’t see it through those emotions at the time. We have to make the most of every moment while we’re here and make a difference when we can, because there’s ALWAYS hope on the other side.
