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Tag: compassion

  • As I Walk Through The Aisles Of Death At The Supermarket

    A poem from my heart:

    If you only could hear what I hear

    If you only could feel what I feel

    As I walk along those aisles of death in the supermarket

    Do you ever look beyond the clever packaging?

    Beyond the fairy happy-tales of animals who supposedly willingly were killed

    Humane slaughter is all a lie

    Animals do not want to die

    These are aisles of intense suffering and death

    Aisles of crushed dreams,

    children mourning their parents,

    and parents mourning their children

    These dead bodies should all be in a cemetery

    Yet, I see people buying these bodies,

    living individuals ripped apart at a young age

    It is not food, it is violence

    Milk is not food for us, it is the nourishment which was intended for a calf

    But forcefully she was taken away from her mother,

    ignoring her intense cries;

    and ignoring the cries of his/her heart, saying:

    Please don’t hurt these beautiful beings,

    respect their deep heart wish to be together

    And if you buy that milk, you are closing your eyes, and heart,

    from their heartache, pleas and deep emotional suffering

    Think of if someone forcefully took you away from your mother when you were a little child

    Treat and respect others as you want others to treat and respect you

    It is time

    To shop with your heart,

    your eyes and ears

    Their suffering will only stop

    if you listen to your heart and shop with your heart

    Choose green kindness – a vegan diet –

    instead of a diet that robs other beings of everything they have

    Choose peace. Be kind. Be vegan

    Be kind, be vegan, learn more here, http://befairbevegan.com

    (Photo credit, Captive pig photo from www.djurfabriken.se , Free pig photo from Gotlands djurfristad)

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/anders.branderud

     

  • McDonald’s You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourselves

    Well, my night took an unexpected turn! So I finished my night out, ended up in the dreaded McDonald’s queue. I couldn’t help but notice the lady in front me, all she asked for was a cup of hot water.

    The member of staff told her no. I don’t know what was going through their mind but a lady, clearly homeless was asking for a basic human right; and for a multi billion pound company, for them to say no is disgusting!

    My heart was shattered! So I spoke to her and told her to order what she wanted, expecting her to order everything. I was so shocked. She asked for a single cheese burger and that was it. We bought as much as we could carry so I knew she wasn’t going to be hungry.

    I couldn’t just leave this lady go, she was so warming and so lovely. So I sat with her, on the cold hard floor, in the middle of winter and you know what I did? I cried my eyes out.

    You know if people of Cardiff walked passed them and didn’t do anything because, financially, they weren’t in the position, I would understand. But people walked passed and laughed at them. I don’t care who you are, If this was you; and you’re reading this I hate you!

    When I got to speak to them I was genuinely shocked at their story and how educated they were! So full of life and enthusiasm and they literally have nothing!

    I invited polly and her mate back to my house and we all cooked enough food to feed them and their friends for the next few nights. We boxed them up and packed them in their bags.

    Polly and her mate have had showers, brushed their teeth and they both said they have ever felt so appreciated in their life.

    I’m no saint, but this small act of kindness cost me about £20. I know 90% of people reading this will earn about 10 times that a day.

    It costs nothing to be kind, and I genuinely hope people share this to raise awareness of homelessness throughout the UK!

    Me and polly have chatted on the phone and I’ve promised her that she will never go hungry or cold again! I’ve given her blankets, pillows and a back pack full of food.

    If you see someone on the streets, don’t look down on them like they’re nothing. You don’t know what they’ve been though! spare a little thought!

    I don’t cate if I look like shit cause I’m crying!

    Polly, you’ve changed me! ❤️❤️❤️

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000014304854

     

  • Let’s Talk About Autism And The Emergency Room

    Let’s talk about #Autism & the Emergency Room 🏥🚨

    Did you know that of the individuals with autism who use the emergency department, almost 1 in 4 are sedated or restrained to keep them calm? (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25433045/)

    It doesn’t have to be like that. Being physically restrained like that can cause psychological trauma. Sometimes sedation and or restraint can be the safest option, yes. However, it should never be the go to choice.

    When staff are compassionate and understanding it can prevent having to turn to physical restraint.

    Emergency room staff can do this by speaking in a clear, concise manner. Explain to the patient what is going to happen, and why it’s important. Be patient and give the individual sufficient time to process the information. Staff should be open to suggestions from parents/caregivers, as they know the individual best.

    Successful emergency room trips are possible with autism when you have caring staff who are willing to listen and understand! 💙

    For more information for Hospital Staff:

    https://www.autismspeaks.org/hospital-emergency-staff

    For more information for Parents or Caregivers:

    https://www.rchsd.org/documents/2015/03/autismspeakstoolkit.pdf/

     

  • Here We Go Again With All The Twin Questions

    I took the twins to WalMart today for our weekly grocery shopping. An older woman approached me in the cereal aisle, and I instantly sighed in annoyance because I knew the “typical twin questions” were about to start pouring out of her mouth. When I go out in public, I always plan for an additional 20 minutes just for answering questions about twins, and frankly it’s become tedious.

    She neared my cart and stopped. “Here we go again” I thought. She asked all the typical things, told me how sweet they were, and continued to babble on with the boys.

    I was antsy, and just ready to go. I turned to look down the aisle hoping she would take the hint that I was ready to leave, and as I did she put her hand on top of mine that was resting on the cart. “I know you probably hate this and I’m sorry to take up so much of your time. You see, I lost my only grandchild last year, and about the only time I see kids his age is when I do my grocery shopping” she said.

    Suddenly, time didn’t matter. “Well we are about to go look at the fish, you wanna follow us over there and watch them play for a bit?” Her eyes lit up; “I would love that.” We went over and I got the boys out. She spent about 15 minutes watching them bounce around and scream out “FISHY FISHY FISHY” when finally she looked over to me and said “you don’t know what I would give to be able to hear my grandson laugh one last time.” I couldn’t find any words, so I stood in silence grieving for her.

    “May I hug your boys?” I nodded. “Thank you so much for giving me your time, I know your hands are full” she said. “No really, it was my pleasure.” She bent down to hug Darrio, my not as friendly twin, and he reached his arms out and said “LUH YOU!!” She hugged Dheigo and then hugged me, and said “I love all 3 of you too” and headed toward the check out.

    Do you know what my point is? My point is how quickly my attitude changed once I connected with her as another human being with feelings.

    That woman taking too long in the drop off line in the morning? What if her child has to go to his dads for the weekend and she wont get another hug for 3 long days.

    The man driving slow when your in a rush to work? What if hes going slow because he knows he is going to be laid off and is worried about his future.

    That annoying little kid down the road who always bangs on your door? What if he doesnt get attention at home and just wants a friend.

    It made me wonder; how much nicer would we all be if we knew one anothers struggles?

    Raise damn good humans.

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/landrababy

     

  • Here’s Why Good Teachers Are Leaving Their Professions

    The filter comes off now.

    .

    I think it’s easier for people to believe that I left teaching because of the lousy pay. It was easier for my former HR director to believe it was because I found something that I was more passionate about. Some would allow them to assume that… let them be comfortable in their assumptions because your truth may lead to discomfort of others. Well… I’m not some. That ain’t me!!!

    .

    Let me tell you why those who ooze passion for teaching are leaving the occupation like their hair is on fire…

    .

    1. The old excuse “the kids have changed”. No. No friggin way. Kids are kids. PARENTING has changed. SOCIETY has changed. The kids are just the innocent victims of that. Parents are working crazy hours, consumed by their devices, leaving kids in unstable parenting/coparenting situations, terrible media influences… and we are going to give the excuse that the KIDS have changed?

    What did we expect them to do? Kids behave in undesirable ways in the environment they feel safest. They test the water in the environment that they know their mistakes and behaviors will be treated with kindness and compassion. For those “well behaved” kids–they’re throwing normal kid tantrums at home because it’s safe. The kids flipping tables at school? They don’t have a safe place at home. Our classrooms are the first place they’ve ever heard ‘no’, been given boundaries, shown love through respect. Cue “the kids have changed”

    .

    2. In the midst of all of this… our response is we need to be “21st Century” schools. 1 to 1 student to technology. Oh. Okay. So forget the basics of relationship building and hands on learning. Kids already can’t read social cues and conduct themselves appropriately in social settings… let’s toss more devices at them because it looks good on our website. During an interview, one division asked me “how are you with technology? That’s important to us”. Uhhh… I hear Bobo the chimpanzee is pretty tech savvy… I consider myself pretty great with kids.

    .

    3. And since our technology approach doesn’t seem to be working, teachers must need more training. So take away two planning periods a week. And render that time utterly worthless when it comes to ADDING to the quality of the instruction. Just this year, a new math assessment was introduced for K teachers. We had to attend a training on a school day (time missed with students) then it took us THREE WEEKS to administer it… one on one… to 21 students. Such. A. Waste. All of the info I could have told you about them without taking away from precious instructional time.

    .

    4. Instead of holding parents accountable… and making them true partners, we’ve adopted a customer service mindset. I’ve seen the Facebook rants about attendance and getting “the letter”. Well, here’s the thing… I can’t teach your child if he’s not in school 🤷‍♀️. I was cussed out by parents who wanted to attend field trips but missed the THREE notes that went home–and when they did attend a trip, sat on their phone the entire time. I’ve had parents stand me up multiple times on Conference Days then call to tattle on me when I refused to offer an after school option. I’ve had parents tell me that I’m not allowed to tell their child ‘no’…

    .

    5. My mental and physical health was in jeopardy every.single.day. Knowing that your kids need and deserve more than they’re getting. Sitting in one meeting after another, begging for more support, only to be told ‘don’t lose sleep over them’… when you LOVE your kids and are PASSIONATE about your mission… these messages tear you apart. Watching them come in… dirty clothes… chaos at home… and knowing they need more than you can give them in a classroom of 21, with less and less support, multple languages spoken, several different disabilities… it breaks you. We become emotional eaters. We become couch potatoes to zone out. We become so short fused that our families suffer.

    .

    So… that’s why.

    .

    I finally realized… you can’t save them all. You can’t even help 21 if you aren’t healthy yourself. If your mental and physical health aren’t a focus, you aren’t even good for the 21.

    .

    I left my retirement fund… my paid sick leave (46 days left on the table, unpaid). I didn’t leave for better pay.

    .

    I decided to start with my 1 at home… and work to help other mommas be able to show up for their ones at home. Because… I really do believe it starts there ❤ I found something that allows me to impact the environments that those 21 go home to. I found something that I can make an impact with… that doesn’t leave my tank empty, rendering me useless for others.

    .

    I may have left the classroom… but I am still advocating for those kiddos. It just looks different now

    Credit. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7821126

     

  • Amazing Act of Kindness

    I would like to share something incredibly special with you all. A day we will never forget. Today we took our little boy Ralph to Universal Orlando Resort for the first time. Ralph is awesomely autistic, and we are proud to be a neurodiverse family. As wonderful, loving, intelligent and incredible as Ralph is, sometimes he struggles. (Don’t we all?)

    When he struggles the hardest, he can have something known as an “autistic meltdown”. Some people who are not educated about autism might see it as a temper tantrum. But the fact of the matter is that it is not the act of a spoiled and naughty child. It’s a cry for help. This is Ralph’s way of saying “I don’t know how to monitor and regulate my emotions right now. I need help, please! I’m scared! I’m overwhelmed! I want to feel better and I don’t know how!”. And here came Jen to the rescue.

    First I should explain that Ralph was EXTREMELY excited to ride the Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure. He kept on asking us if the ride was coming up soon, and we would reassure him and say “Soon, Baby. Soon. First there are other rides before that one. That one is at the end. It’s the last island. So we have to ride the other ones first. Okay?” He was SO patient for SO long. As patient as he possibly could be. He would say “Okay” and sigh, and then enjoy the next ride. But all the while, the excitement was building up to the pinnacle of his day: The Spiderman ride near the exit of Islands of Adventure.

    So when we finally got there and handed them his handicap-access tickets which would make his waiting time a little bit more bearable (he would still have to wait the same amount of time, just not in a physical line), he was upset that we had to walk away from Spiderman in order to find a nice cool air conditioned place in which we could wait until it was our turn to ride. He was as patient as could be while we sat there as a family for the 15 minutes it would take until we could go back and walk in. The anticipation was driving him wild! But he did his very best to regulate it with the tools he has been given over the years by his teachers and therapy team at his special needs school back home. They, and he, are all AMAZING.

    When we finally got back to Spiderman, he was leaping for joy. He thought “OH WOW! This is IT! FINALLY!” and you should have seen the SMILE on his face. It was incredible. Then when it was almost our turn to board, and he could see the end in sight, the vehicles right in front of us, we got the news that the ride had broken down. Everyone was very nicely asked to exit. And Ralph, understandably, lost it. (Wouldn’t you?). My husband and I know the signs. We could see it coming, like an oncoming train. And yet we couldn’t dodge out of the way. There was nowhere else to go. The autistic meltdown was GOING to HAPPEN. And happen it DID.

    Ralph collapsed onto the floor while crowds of people were attempting to exit the ride and the gift shop attached to it. He began sobbing, screaming, rocking, hyperventilating, and truly struggling to breathe. A woman who worked there named Jen came over… no… no, she RUSHED over… and while I frantically kept trying to get him to stand up so he wouldn’t get trampled on by people, she encouraged me to leave him on the floor if that is where he needed to be.

    Then she did this. She got down on the floor WITH HIM. She rested next to him while he cried his heart out, and she helped him breathe again. She spoke to him so calmly, and while he screamed and sobbed, she gently kept encouraging him to let it all out. She told people to keep on walking around them, so they would stop standing there and staring. And then she told him it was okay for him to be sad and feel this way. She understood. She would feel the same way too. His feelings were validated. And she told him he could lay there with her as long as he needed to until he felt better.

    Eventually, he DID feel better. So they got up, and she told him he could have something from the gift shop to help him feel even better still. Anything up to $50. All he wanted was a tiny notebook and pen to write in about the size of my hand, and a tiny ID tag with Spiderman’s face on it and his name. She suggested some other toys that were even more expensive, and he looked at her and said “No thanks, I’m good.” And he SMILED. And THANKED her.

    He was exhausted and rattled, as we ALL get after one of his rare epic meltdowns. But what a relief it was that it was over. Thanks to Jen, and her knowledge about what to do. I asked her how she knew how to do that, and she told me that everyone at Universal Studios gets special training when it comes to people who are awesomely autistic, as well as other special needs. I hugged her for the LONGEST time… several times, if I’m being honest. And then the entire family left the store and marched straight over to customer relations without a single pit-stop, to sing Jen’s praises. I showed the sweet woman working there the photos of Jen with Ralph, and she got misty-eyed herself, and hugged me. We showed each other our goosebumps on our arms and laughed and hugged yet again. And she ALSO told me how much training they get when it comes to helping people with various special needs.

    Many thanks ALSO go out to the incredibly sweet woman working the Dr. Seuss carousel ride who let Ralph ride it again without having to get back in line because she saw the laughter and joy on his face. I wish I had gotten her name. MEGA thanks to Lindsey and Vee from Mythos restaurant who noticed him starting to panic a little when he needed a pencil so he could calm himself down from the over-stimulation at the park. He wanted to draw, and all he could find was a pen. He kept saying “Thank you for my pencil” very anxiously over and over and over again to Lindsey, who very sweetly kept trying to explain she only had a pen, but she would see what she could do. Then she rushed off, despite us telling her we would just go buy him one somewhere as soon as possible so he could draw.

    But she insisted she wanted to help. And then suddenly Vee appeared and she had a beautiful freshly-sharpened yellow pencil in her hand and the biggest smile for Ralph you ever did see. And when he drew them a thank you card with The Cat in The Hat on it, they thanked him and Vee asked if she could hang it in her office. He was THRILLED at this suggestion.

    It made him feel SO special that she wanted to keep it in the office to remember him by. Vee, Lindsey, THANK YOU. A big thanks to Augustin from The Mummy Ride, who saw us struggling a little bit with the lockers and rushed over to help, and then without even being asked, befriended Ralph and led us over to the ride via the magical “back way”, complete with elevator and a bypassing of much of the line. And finally, a MEGA THANKS to our friend Sidney J. Dragon for being there and helping Ralph feel better!

    Bringing him water, also sitting down on the floor with him, and then being our tour guide the rest of the day to make sure everything else went smoothly for us from there on in! He works there too, and stayed with us until the park closed, making sure Ralphie stayed happy! Even though his work shift ended already! You are all MAGICAL people. TRULY. <3

    A message to all of the people who work at Universal Studios: Please read this and know that my family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I know Ralphie does too. THANK YOU for recognizing that Ralphie is a GREAT kid. A SWEET kid who just struggles with certain things (as we ALL do, neurodiverse or not). THANK YOU for treating him with SO much kindness and patience. THANK YOU to your supervisors and whomever trained you so well. THANK YOU for paying such close attention. THANK YOU for BEING THERE for us today, and for making us feel like Ralph’s well-being was your top priority. He is OUR top priority because we love him more than ANYTHING and ANYONE, but you all only just met him today. And yet you behaved as if you were family. And we TRULY cannot thank you enough.

    Too often people complain when something goes wrong, but say nothing when something goes RIGHT. Well that’s not how I do things. Maybe it’s because I’m a business-owner myself. But I refuse to go to bed tonight, regardless of how utterly EXHAUSTED I am, until I publicly thank you and sing your praises. THANK YOU. TRULY. <3 And Mama Jen? We love you most of all. <3

    See you next time, Orlando!

    The Koppelman Family

    (Steve, Lenore, and Ralph) from NYC <3

    #universalstudios #autismacceptance #awesomelyautistic #neurodiversity #spiderman #marvel #rainbowinfinitysymbol #inclusion #love

    PS: please feel free to share this story so these incredible employees and the wonderful staff who trained them so well get the applause they deserve!!! ❤️❤️❤️

    PPS: I’m flooded with beautiful and concerned messages asking if Ralph ever got to go on the ride. Thank you so much for asking and for caring! He did not, but don’t worry! We will save up for another trip to Universal, either in Florida or LA, and we will go to the Spider-Man ride FIRST. They DEFINITELY have a repeat customer in us! ❤️❤️❤️

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/lenore.koppelman

     

  • Being Able To Hold My Angel Baby After He Grew His Wings Was Everything To Me

    On the 16th December 2018 myself and partner Gary  had the most beautiful baby boy. They named him Auley James and he was absolutely perfect In so many ways. 

    Sadly, Auley was far too precious for this life. 

    After several scans and speaking to lots of professionals the devastating words were spoken….. there was nothing more they could do. As you can imagine this was heartbreaking for Myself Gary & both families and friends.  

    Auley was then transferred from the QEUH to Robin House in Balloch to be comfortable in his final hours.  
     
    Sadly on the 31st December 2018 the most adorable angel grew his wings and set off on his new journey in heaven.  

    Robin House was the most amazing place for myself , Gary and our 3 girls.  

    Robin House is operated by CHAS which is a tremendous organisation founded over 20 years ago and has been offering full family support services to babies, children and young people with life shortening conditions. CHAS are committed to making sure that no matter how short their time together may be, it is a time filled with happiness and fun and they certainly fulfilled this for Myself , Gary and the girls during the week they stayed at Robin house. The girls had a blast and although Auley has passed it was not a problem to spend any time with him. 

    The Support Team at Robin House are second to none. The attention to detail, care and support given was amazing and this helped Myself and Gary immensely, especially having the three girls and trying to keep life as normal as possible for them. Although they knew their baby brother had gone to heaven Myself and Gary didn’t want them to think of this as a bad place and the staff in Robin House helped them achieve that.    
    You couldn’t put a price on the support, care and attention Auley received during his final hours as  well as the aftercare for Myself , Gary and the girls, so we have decided to raise money for Chas – Robin House in the hope that it will help all the other boys , girls & families at a horrible time in their life.  

    Auley touched so many peoples hearts and he will be remembered by everyone who met him in their own special way.  Myself and Gary are so proud to have had the most amazing wee warrior who fought till the very end. The wee guy will always be remembered with lots of love. 

     #AngelAuley

    Hi folks…..Myself and my partner are hosting a fundraiser in memory of our son who passed away on hogmanay this year aged 2 weeks. All money raised will be going to CHAS-Robin House which is children’s hospice for those kids with life shortening illnesses and they also provide end of life care and support not just for the child but also for the family.

    If you would like to support their cause please follow the below link

    https://www.gofundme.com/robin-house-chas?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_cpgntopstickysmall_r

  • I Quit Being A Carer To Work In KFC And Its So Much Better

    Eighteen long years I have worked in care, I gained many many qualifications, spent hours training to be the best I could possibly be in my sector.

    I would wash and dress the elderly, I would sit with them and brush their hair, paint their nails and listen to all the stories from their past, I genuinely cared about every single person I was employed to look after.

    Many a times I held the hand of someone I had loved as they took their last breath, I sang to them, stroked their hair and sobbed when they passed on, I attended their funeral and stood with “family” members who never or rarely visited their mum/dad as they cried their crocodile tears, with only the thought of their will in their minds.

    I cleaned out their room as management arranged for the next “body” to move in, the next pay cheque.

    I dished up the Tesco value food on to their plate, and watched the owner drive home early in their brand new car, I brought in shampoo and soap for the lady who had nothing.

    Working in care broke me, whilst I loved the people I cared for, I constantly felt I was being rushed by seniors or management, I was given names of residents to get up, whether they were sleeping or not, I wasn’t allowed to spend quality time talking to them, or making them feel loved, it was all about getting people up and dressed as quick as possible.

    Compassion was missing, Love was lacking, from the people earning the most out of these wonderful people’s lives.

    Every day I would go home wondering if someone would be ok, would they still be alive by my next shift, I received a disciplinary for taking too long to bathe someone and when I was told to hurry up “I had spoken rudely to a senior”, that was the last straw for me, how can you bathe a 87-year-old woman in 5 minutes, that’s not a bath, that’s cruel!

    I quit!!! I can’t do it!!!

    I got a job in KFC actually earn more money (not that you get into care for the cash) I am less stressed, my day offs I don’t think about the chickens, I still think about the people I cared for but I had to think about me, something needs to change in care homes and put the residents needs and wants first, management shouldn’t see them as a cash flow, I understand they need to make money but not so much that the elderly are suffering. The care sector needs to wake up and realise they are pushing good people out of the industry!

  • You Might Be An Autism Parent If…

    1. You might be an autism parent if you have to change the movie your child is watching 10 times in 5 mins because he wants to watch something else.

    2. You might be an autism parent if you watch the same film over and over again and don’t complain.

    3. You might be an autism parent if you get both hit and hugged within 5 seconds of each other.

    4. You might be an autism parent if you can’t wait for your child to go to school after a hectic weekend but miss ‘em minutes after school starts.

    5. You might be an autism parent if you would trade everything you have to spend just half an hour in your child’s mind to know how and what they’re thinking.

    6. You might be an autism parent if you find yourself using your child’s therapeutic coping strategies for yourself.

    7. You might be an autism parent if your blood boils every time you see a status update about an autistic child being bullied.

    8. You might be an autism parent if the definition of a clean house is now one that doesn’t have an overflowing bin, dishes in the sink are rinsed, and laundry is at least in a pile or in the basket.

    9. You might be an autism parent if your friends fade as your life is consumed with many therapists, teachers, doctors, case managers, intervention specialists and these people have no clue you almost feel like they are your new best friends because you spend so much time around them and the subject of conversation is your children.

    10. You might be an autism parent if a ‘good day’ means no one’s in the hospital, no one from the school called, no one from the police department is standing on your lawn and everyone’s sitting in one room without a problem.

    11. You might be an autism parent if someone walks into your house and asks if you live in a dangerous neighbourhood and you say no… the window locks, gate locks and three types of door locks are to keep my kid in… not bad guys out.

    12. You might be an autism parent if your blood boils and it

    touches a nerve whenever you hear a child with autism being

    called the ‘R’ word.

    Original author unknown

  • Relapse In Mental Health Is Hilarious Isn’t It

    Demi Lovato overdosing in her $8mil home is the newest punchline for memes.

    She joins the Bipolar relapse walk of fame in the company of 2007 Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes’ Twitter rampages.

    Relapse is hilarious.

    Hilarious until it’s Robin Williams spending his whole life making others happy – just to end his own with a rope around his neck.

    It’s all SO funny until it’s tragic.

    Until it’s your sister’s lifeless body on the floor, accompanied by an empty bottle of her medication. Until it’s your son alone in his room with a razor to his wrist. Or your Mum who hasn’t left her bed for a week.

    Mental illness looks like so many things.

    It’s Carrie Fisher on 7 different medications, 3 times per day. It’s Jim Carrey and Ben Stiller and Stephen Fry.

    It might look like your mate who hasn’t been to school in 2 weeks and won’t answer your calls. Or the neighbour you haven’t seen leave the house this month, and you can see the dirty dishes as a mountain through the window. It might be the teen on drugs or the girl you know who’s always too shaky to speak. One day, it might even be your own reflection.

    It’s 1 in 4 people you know. 25% of us have a problem with our mental health and too many more have a problem with that.

    As Kevin Breel said,

    “…unfortunately, we live in a world where if you break your arm, everyone runs over to sign your cast, but if you tell people you’re depressed, everyone runs the other way. That’s the stigma. We are so, so, so accepting of any body part breaking down, other than our brains. And that’s ignorance. That’s pure ignorance. And that ignorance has created a world that doesn’t understand depression, that doesn’t understand mental health.”

    Demi, our love is with you. 🌻❤️

    Full credit to The girl in the sunflower dress Facebook page