"Everyday is a new beginning. Stay away from what might have been and focus on what could be."

At three, before I even knew how to write, that’s when I knew that writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

When I worked at The Oakland Press, everyone knew me as the girl who always writes the depressing stories. The stories about cancer, loss of a loved one, etc. — my forte is the tear jerkers.

Why? Because I feel like, at the very least, seeing that article in print may be the little light they need to help them get through. Everyone has a story to tell, and if I can be the person who gets that story out there to the world, that’s what I want to do.

That’s what writing has always been to me — my way to get through. And I hope my writing can be that for someone else as well.

I decided to start writing this blog after seeing an epidemic of suicides in the Lake Orion School District. Raising awareness about suicide has been important to me ever since I was little — when my uncle lost his life to suicide.

I suffered from panic attacks throughout college — panic attacks which I couldn't control. And, seeing the stigma against mental disorders made me sick and made me not want to share my experiences. I wanted to write this blog in order to help erase the stigma against depression and show people it's not something they need to be ashamed of.

I also wanted to share what I have learned over the years — that, no matter what has happened in your past, it does get better. And that life is worth living.