09/02/2026
September is Su***de Prevention Month, and I donāt think people will ever truly understand why this month means so much to me unless theyāve lived through the things I have. My name is Faith. Iām 16 years old. And behind that name is a girl who has spent years fighting battles that most people never saw.
Iāve been bullied for what feels like my entire life. I know what itās like to have someoneās words follow you home. I know what itās like to look in the mirror and believe the horrible things people have said about you. I know what itās like to feel completely alone in a room full of people. There was a time when I genuinely didnāt believe I would make it past third grade. I was just a little girl. I should have been worried about school, playing with my friends, and being a kid, not wondering whether I was good enough to deserve a place in this world.
And then Iāve had to experience a kind of heartbreak that I wish nobody ever had to know. Iāve lost friends to su***de. People I cared about. People who had smiles, dreams, families, and entire futures ahead of them. People who deserved to know just how deeply they were loved. Losing someone that way changes you. It leaves you with memories you would give anything to revisit and conversations you wish you could have one more time. Sometimes I think about the people Iāve lost and wish I could go back for just a moment, not to change their story, but to tell them, āYou matter. You are loved. Please donāt face this alone.ā
Those losses have taught me something I will never forget: you never truly know what someone is carrying behind their smile. The person laughing beside you could be hurting. The person who says theyāre fine might desperately need someone to ask again. The person who seems like they have everything together might be fighting a battle nobody knows about. Thatās why kindness matters. Thatās why checking on people matters. Thatās why we have to stop being afraid to say, āIām here. Talk to me.ā
And to the little girl I used to be, the girl who didnāt think sheād make it past third grade, I wish I could sit beside her and tell her everything she couldnāt see yet. Iād tell her that the words people used to hurt her werenāt the truth. Iād tell her that she wasnāt ugly, annoying, worthless, or unlovable. Iād tell her that she would grow up and find pieces of herself she didnāt even know existed. Iād tell her that one day sheād have things she was passionate about, people who would cheer for her, dreams sheād chase, and reasons to wake up excited for another day. Iād tell her that the pain wouldnāt always feel this heavy.
Most importantly, Iād tell her to stay.
So if youāre reading this and youāre struggling right now, please donāt make a permanent decision based on a temporary moment of pain. You donāt have to figure out your entire future tonight. You donāt have to pretend youāre okay. You donāt have to carry everything alone. Tell somebody. Let somebody sit with you. Let somebody help you. And if the first person doesnāt understand, please tell another person. Keep telling people until somebody listens.
Because there is a version of you that hasnāt existed yet. There are places you havenāt seen, people you havenāt met, dreams you havenāt chased, laughs you havenāt laughed, memories you havenāt made, and beautiful moments you havenāt even imagined yet.
I know because Iām living proof.
I once thought I wouldnāt make it past third grade. Now Iām 16, standing here with a life I never thought Iād have. Iām not saying everything is perfect. Iām saying Iām still here. And every day Iām here is another day the people who tried to break me didnāt win.
To every friend Iāve lost, I love you. I remember you. And I wish you were still here.
To the little girl I used to be: Iām proud of you for holding on.
And to anyone who feels like they canāt hold on anymore: please stay. Let someone help you carry it. Your story isnāt finished. There are still pages left to write.
You are not a burden. You are not your worst day. You are not the things people have said about you.
You are still here. And that means there is still hope. š¤
