In the days that followed, they learned quickly that the story they were telling represented people everywhere. They began to hear from people in need of help, and others asking what they could do to help their friends. They heard from people who had lost loved ones to suicide. Many said that these were questions they had never asked and parts of their story that they had never shared. Others were honest in a different way, confessing these were issues they knew little or nothing about. It seemed they had stumbled upon a bigger story, and a conversation that needed to be had.
Over the last two and a half years, To Write Love on her Arms has responded to 80,000 messages from people in 40 different countries. Bringing this conversation, and a message of hope and help, to concerts, universities, festivals and churches. These are not American issues -these are issues of humanity, problems of pain that affect millions of people around the world.
They have learned that two out of three people who struggle with depression never seek help, and that untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide. In America alone, it’s estimated that 19 million people live with depression, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death among those 18-24 years old.
The good news is that depression is very treatable, that a very real hope exists in the face of these issues. We’ve met people who are getting the help they need, sitting across from a counselor for the first time, stepping into treatment, or reaching out to a suicide hotline in a desperate moment.
TWLOHA is reaching multitudes of young people through social media outlets such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, TWLOHA initiatives to raise support for those suffering from depression and suicide include concerts, UChapters, TWLOHA clubs at colleges and MOVE, a workshop about how to overcome “stigma and shame" with honesty and compassion.”
The Vision of To Write Love on her Arms:
You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.
We live in a difficult world, a broken world. Life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.
We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.
You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption. We're seeing it happen. We're seeing lives change as people get the help they need. People sitting across from a counselor for the first time. People stepping into treatment. In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline. We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take. We want to say here that it's worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it's possible to change.
Beyond treatment, we believe that community is essential, that people need other people, that we were never meant to do life alone.
The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.
The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.
The vision is that we can reduce the suicide rate in America and around the world.
The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.
The vision is better endings. The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships. The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change.
The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know.
The vision is hope, and hope is real.
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.
Wow! What an amazing Vision Statement! What an amazing charity doing amazing work! Today is World Suicide Prevention Day... please consider what you can do to help To Write Love on her Arms. If you or someone you know needs help... help is available, Click here for information on available resources.
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Source: www.twloha.com
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