I am in tears writing this to you all.
While this job has proven a blessing over and over again, I have never felt as proud and honoured as I feel today. This team has quickly become my family of support. Your kind messages and willingness to tackle stories about mental health issues are brave and beautiful. This team has blown me away. You have inspired me, and helped me to heal in a time of deep mourning.
Western has lost too many beautiful souls to Depression, this week, and over the years…
We need to talk, because this needs to stop.
I reached out to my preceding Campus Correspondent Alexie Evans as my housemates and I dealt with the loss of our friend Craig, asking her to take my place for this week. I had for weeks been planning what I would write, and how I would tackle HC Western Ontario’s Mental Health Awareness Week. I had posts ready to publish, and articles ready for uploading. I was excited to start the conversation and to hopefully make a difference.
However, this past Sunday, the kick-off day to our HC week, my housemates and I came to learn that we had lost our friend.
We had walked down to his house, on our very same street, feeling something wasn’t right. When we arrived, we heard, cried, and collapsed into each other for support. Emotions went on roller coasters as we sat in his house for hours – the kind of nightmare no one should ever have to experience.
Unfortunately, this was not my first loss in this way. While in grade twelve, I had also lost my best friend Kyle. I could feel the pain, the memories, and the flashbacks of the day I had be told he was also gone. Two friends lost is two too many.
The Western community is mourning. I am mourning. But I haven’t forgotten the weight of this week at Her Campus. Although I have taken a step back from my role this week, I will continue to be this teams biggest cheerleader – as they have always been mine. I will share, comment, like, and love, all that my team does – because we are a force to be recon with. We are a team with a passion and talent for writing, with the ability to use our words to heal others and ourselves. To see our articles gain traffic is exciting, not for the rank, but because it shows that people are reading, sharing, and listening. You have the power to encourage people to talk about Mental Health, and you may not even realize it, but can, and are, making a difference.
Her Campus changed my life while dealing with my own Depression. I was able to talk and write. I connected with other writers who had dealt with similar issues, and came up with the idea to do a week like this – because mental health issues matter. They matter so much.
I want to give my entire team the biggest hug for having such open minds and such open hearts. Please continue to write, listen, share, and talk. I am always here to read and to listen.
You are all incredible, and you are all so loved.
– Kellie Anderson