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Savanna’s Story (Depression, Obesity, Anxiety)

When my life isn’t rainbows and happiness… My dad was out of my life most of my elementary years. He and my mom fought all the time, and he went to jail for domestic violence. It was hard living without a dad. My babysitter was like my mom because my mom worked all the time. So my babysitter and I grew a mother-daughter relationship. Her husband took over being a dad to me. I was always a troublemaker in school, and I was made fun of because of my weight. My dad got out of jail a few years later. I didn’t have a lot to do with him. My babysitter’s son and daughter-in-law also fought all the time. They both got into drugs which was heartbreaking. My great grandma passed away in 2007. My dad was also into drugs.

In 4th grade, my babysitter passed away. I never got to say goodbye. I was lost and heartbroken. My mom met a friend through church and asked her to become my mentor after my babysitter passed away. They were good friends, and they couldn’t do anything without me. I was a momma’s girl. Then something happened and we lost contact.

My middle school years were rough; 6th grade and 7th grade were rough. I wasn’t adjusting to the new school. During my 7th grade year, my mom’s friend and my mom came in contact again. In 8th grade, my aunt became very ill. At first, they didn’t know what was happening to her, and she continued to get sicker. She was sick for a year and a half. Then toward the day she died, they found out it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a blood cancer. She passed away that summer. It hit me hard. I grew into a deep depression and started cutting, between that and stress.

I was also bullied my 8th grade year. I ended up in a mental hospital for cutting. I stayed there for about 4 days. It was a rough 4 days. I found out I had depression. After that, I grew close with some people. I accepted God into my heart on February 27, 2017 and on March 5th, I got baptized. God changed my life. I’m 14 and in August I was a year clean from cutting.

Savanna
Indiana
Submitted 10/31/2017

This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

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One comment

  1. Linda

    Dear Savanna,
    My daughter cut and it is foreign to people that have never know anyone that does it. Thank you for bringing attention to this disease and sharing your story with others.

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