A flyer hung in the corridor of my hometown library. In that beat of my life, the library was a space I spent much of my time. The flyer advertised a walk event to support people affected by mental illness. I had been recently hospitalized for my mental health and had not been well enough to go back to school yet. I was one of those people.

Attending that gathering, I found a place where my challenge would not be shamed. In that park were about 100 people affected in some way by a mental health condition either in their family or self. We were saying this mattered. Having carried a decent share of shame in those years for what I had been diagnosed with, for once, I felt recognized and encouraged in my fight.

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