 I have my own story and I've never shared it with anyone but hearing a very personal story from someone today actually made me change what I was going to talk about completely and to share my story because it really pulled up my heartstrings and I don't I don't see why I shouldn't share my story to possibly pull it someone else's heartstrings. You know 10 years ago I we were going through a lot my family and I we lost everything basically lost our restaurant lost our home we lost or almost lost our home and I felt like a burden to everyone I just lost my girlfriend at the time of course you know when you're in high school that's a big deal I had contemplated taking my life I'd even wrote the note and was about to do it and luckily the minister caught me I remember what it was like to be helpless I remember what it was like to feel alone and then but beside yourself um because during my struggle I there was people there for me everywhere everywhere and I I was so consumed in my own um in my own self and and everything that was going on in my struggle and I let the I let that struggle overcome me I let it have that power over me um something that's not even human and something that's not even it's it's a feeling I let a feeling totally take hold of my body um I did you know check into a behavior health and I got help then which was really hard for me I needed that help I needed to be there I needed to see someone and there's nothing wrong with that but I think as I got older or as I get older and as I've learned it doesn't make me a weak person as I thought then for seeking help but I think the most valuable thing that I may have learned while I was there um was that I wasn't alone I wasn't secluded like I thought my mind was playing a trick on me my thoughts were playing a trick on me I was never alone to begin with you know I've heard jokes be made about mental mental health issues and and about suicide and and and seeking help and jokes about those hospitals um and it's it's it's not good it it's real demoralizing more than anything to have someone joke about it I've had individuals confide in me um with similar issues and struggles and because of my experience I knew kind of what to say um a little bit I knew kind of what to do I'm lucky for what I went through 10 years ago because it helped me be a better person and it gave me that personal growth that I need I'm about to have a fiance um you know we're gonna get married probably within the next year or two I wouldn't have that if it wasn't for me seeking help you know vent to someone don't bottle it up always be there for someone you know we're all in this together that's my biggest thing is you know we're all in this together we all need to to encourage each other to to reach out and to seek help more