What is support? – My story
What is support? And where does it come from? The English
dictionary states that support is to bear all or part of the weight, or to give
assistance to another. However, I believe that support is much more than a few
insignificant words. It is friendship,
community, family and overall love for each another. Support can come in all
shapes and forms: a hug from a friend, an encouraging word from a teacher, help
with homework from your parents, some helpful advice from your siblings, it all
helps you overcome challenges in your everyday life. Yet, when the struggles
threaten your wellbeing or your family’s, support is crucial. Disease, cancer,
stress, mental illnesses, debt, natural disasters and so on batter each and
every one of us throughout our lives.
And I would know first-hand what it feels like. Around
Christmas last year, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was and
still is a fit, healthy woman who does not smoke, drink or have any relatives
who had breast cancer. My mother was as far away from having breast cancer as
you can get. At first, I was angry and frustrated. Women like my mother do not
get breast cancer, she statistically had the lowest risk of being diagnosed
with breast cancer in Australia. But, even though I would love to magically
“fix” my mother it is simply impossible. As the tumours were quite large and
had a high risk of spreading, my mother went straight into surgery to have her
left breast removed just a week and a half after the diagnosis. For the next
months, my mother went through many bouts of chemotherapy, radiation treatment
and hormone therapy along with the effects of losing her hair, her strength,
her energy and so much more.
Through all this, I felt that I had to be strong for my
siblings, for my father and for myself. I tried to become the rock I needed, to
hold onto my own struggles and to overcome them by myself. Eventually I
cracked. I was so physically and mentally drained that my grades dropped, I
stopped talking to my friends, my self-esteem plummeted and I had had enough.
Throughout all my life I have had many people to turn to for support, however
in this time I didn’t want to burden others with my so-called whining and
therefore I didn’t ask for help when I really needed it.
Overall the moral of my journey is that you can ask for help
and therefore it means that you don’t have to be alone - trust me it is so much
harder to work through the pain by yourself rather than with others who care
for and support you. If you need support through any of your struggles, the
Brigidine community is open. Peer mentors, the wonderful counsellors, your
pastoral leaders, your homeroom teachers, your big sisters, your friends, the
list goes on are all there for you to lean on. Before I leave, I just want you
to think about this: “Sometimes it’s OK if the only thing you did today is
breathe.” – Yumi Sakugawa
If you are struggling with something, here are a few
websites to visit:
- Headspace
- Youth
Beyond Blue
- Teen
Mental Health
- Bite
Back
- Reach
Out
Signing off,
Olivia xx
