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To Write Love On Her Arms

by Kayla from Riley

You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story
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(http://data.whicdn.com/images/13400815/photography-shoes-twloha-vans-Favim.com-123095_large.jpg)

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, or one death every 40 seconds. It is predicted that by 2020 the rate of death will increase to one every 20 seconds/ Suicide is now the third leading cause of death among teenagers and eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. Most of these people commit suicide because they fail to seek treatment. Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse. To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA is a hero because they encourage , inform, and invest into treatment and recovery for those who need it most.

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(http://www.usnews9.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/choose-twloha.jpg)

TWLOHA helps people with depression by encouraging and inspiring them, to show that they are important and worthy. Their top 4 vision statements are as follows: "You were created to love and be loved; We live in a difficult world, a broken world; we wake to mystery and beauty but also tragedy and loss; You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption." TWLOHA hosts "MOVE" conferences where students where students, mentors, parents, friends, pastors, professionals, and for everyone in-between can come and engage others in conversations about topics they believe matter. You help each other move from a place of pain and suffering to a place of hope and healing. It's a beautiful thing to see everyone come together to overcome a greater cause.

MOVE conferences also help inform others about the seriousness of suicide, self-injury, addiction, and depression. If going to conferences and listening to other peoples stories and struggles doesn't feel as though you are helping and informing as many people as you could, TWLOHA also has a high school campaign "The Storytellers." By being a "storyteller" you bring awareness to your school campus and surrounding area. You gather a group of people who are passionate about the topic and simply tell them the story behind TWLOHA or why you are so passionate about it. You can sell bracelets and merchandise to also help inform others, It's incredible how fast knowledge spreads, when you are willing to share information. Along with just informing people about the organization in the community, TWLOHA also puts facts about depression, self-injury, addiction, and suicide on their website. 121 million people suffer from depression worldwide; 18 million of those cases happen in the United States.

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(http://th06.deviantart.net/fs50/PRE/i/2009/317/1/5/Mad_World___TWLOHA_by_Siluriformes.jpg)

With so much of the population suffering from depression, and the fact that it is also increasing, is alarming. These people need to seek treatment and recovery and TWLOHA helps fund some of that. Every piece of information you can give them, helps take more steps towards helping people with depression and to help show them they are worth something. In order to help, you don't have to give money; you can help in 14 different ways. You can donate, host benefits and fundraisers, buy TWLOHA merchandise, join the official street team, swipegood, buzznet.com, charitychoice, igive.com, ebay giving works, goodserach.com, yourcause.com, cars 4 causes, socialvibe, and social networking. Rescue is possible and we went to help them in anyway we possibly can.

TWLOHA is an inspiration to me and a hero to so many others because of all the work they've done to encourage, inform, and invest into the treatment and recovery of those suffering from depression. Without all of the people involved in the movement, a lot of the people we see in our everyday lives may not have been there. Listening to the stories of others is a humbling experience. You see how hard it truly is for people to simply get through the day. Keep this in your mind the next time you go to criticize or put someone down. If you would like to get involved and help with TWLOHA I encourage you to go onto www.twloha.com to get started.

Page created on 9/30/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 9/30/2011 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Extra Info

We are delicate;
We are damaged.
We are strong;
We are scared.
We are hopeful;
We are hushed.
We are inspiring;
We are insecure.

We are survivors.