To Write Love on Her Arms

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had a mother who didn’t love her, a father who left her, and a step-father who physically abused her. As she grew older, the pain began to take a toll on her body, physically and mentally. She had insomnia, would stop eating, drank to forget, caused self-injury, and felt depressed in most of the days of her dwindling existence.

One day she met this girl who was different from all the rest. Who listened and understood and felt the same pain she was feeling. Though this girl did not have an abusive family and didn’t have insomnia, anorexia, or cause self-injury, she still understood everything the girl was feeling. Like this girl could suffer in the same degree as she could because she wanted to take everyone else’s pain and put it on her own shoulders.

The girl who suffered from her own pain did not understand this girl who suffered from others’ pain because on the outside she seemed so cheerful, and loving, and free. But on the inside, the girl had terrible thoughts against herself and always felt so lonely and trapped. She would never show these thoughts because she never wanted to put a burden on others since her pride was too great to admit to this weakness. As the two girls became closer friends, they each began to feel less lonely and lost because love and understanding was what bound them together. The one with the broken past began to subdue her self-injury and the one with terrible thoughts began to like herself more and more. For though the girl who was unloved thought she was the one being freed from her pain and solitude, it was really the girl who burdened the suffering of others that was truly saved.

Many people across the world share stories like this one, so why is talking about self-injury such a taboo in society? We shouldn’t be kept hidden in the dark, but allowed to break out of our silence and fight for life. There is an organization called “To Write Love on Her Arms” for people who aren’t lucky enough to have a friend who can help them through depression, addiction, self-injury, or suicide. At first it started out as just a few people selling t-shirts to raise money for a friend in need of treatment, but then it exploded into a world renowned campaign to raise awareness about self-injury and help those in need of rescue from their own inflictions. The vision is to give hope to those who are suffering alone because of past traumas, suicidal thoughts, or any other reason to pick up a gun, blade, or bottle. The first steps to healing are always the hardest, but just remember that “you are not alone, and this is not the end of your story”. If you or a loved one is going through these hardships, get help from people you can trust or guide those in need of a friend, because one day you too can save a life.