Being There for Yourself

There is a person I made friends with when we were both staying in the pediatric part of the hospital. He was eight, and I was ten, so there wasn’t a big age difference. We both had epilepsy.

We continued to see each other as friends every year at epilepsy events, traditional summer BBQs, and our once-a-year Mexican restaurant visit. Sometimes, there were random things our moms came up with us.

Eventually, we were in high school and time flew by. Chelsea Pier in eleventh grade was so much fun, but we were going through changes, and that was the last time I saw him for a long time. Fifteen years, to be exact, because, in 2005, I was distracted from being in a serious relationship and love.

Facing challenges together

I always wondered how he was doing now and then because we were friends. When certain friendships end, there could be great memories, and if anything made it end, always remember the best of times if the person comes to mind.

When Facebook was invented we became friends again. At first, it was just a “Hi” in messages. Then we messaged each other with much space in between but that’s him.

Suddenly, one day in 2018, he asked if I was able to talk one night and told me to call him after messaging his phone number. I was happy and called but he wasn’t happy. He was seriously depressed. I helped other people with those feelings before, but it was 10:00 PM, and he doesn’t live around the corner from me.

As I spoke, I made sure to have a phone number for him to call. It would have hurt no matter how many years it was since the last time I saw him because I know him. I advised him to tell his epileptologist whom I know well.

When he discussed it with his epileptologist, it was revealed that the medication he was taking could cause side effects, but only in a small percentage of patients. Unfortunately, he was one of the few affected.

He is now satisfied and happy with his life. Continuing to move forward and forgetting the past. Discovering what job was made for him.

Finding support in difficult times

If there is ever a feeling of deep depression, frustration, low esteem, doubt, or shame, remember there is always someone to talk to: friends, family, or hotlines. The best thing to do with negative emotions is to share them rather than hold them in and continuously keep them inside because that can cause a person to feel even worse.

It is great to make the doctor aware because it is a different circumstance with everyone. I know that from experiences I had.

Some things need to be learned as the years pass by. The best thing is to learn about yourself and to love yourself. Just remember you are just as important as anyone else, no matter how difficult things can be.

The hotline I use for advice is connected to the American Epilepsy Foundation at 1-800-332-1000. There are also 988 crisis hotlines that people use today.

The value of community support

Just remember not only people with disabilities have those experiences. People without disabilities can go tough for the same as folks like us. But the key is to keep pushing forward, stay positive, and not be afraid to reach out for help.

Besides helping yourself if there is a person seriously in need that you know or happens to come to you because of depression or other. There is a challenge in everyone’s life, and it is always great to be there for other people.

After all, everyone struggles at some point in time, and it is best to accept and learn from them as much as possible. Respect, love, and help each other as well as yourself are answers to life, happiness, and success.