When every day is a fight for survival, it's hard to believe that things can actually get better. Hope is a very powerful drug; we need more of it to bolster our recoveries. My hope is that my personal story will give you hope, that your life will get better too.

This is a collection of blogs, excerpts and Facebook status updates that together tell the story of a life that gets better. Reading them through now, after the passage of time, I'm struck by how hopeful I always was, even at the beginning, even in the depths of my despair, even when I was considering ending everything. Hope is a very powerful drug; we need more of it to bolster our recoveries. My hope is that this collection shows you that you too, can have a life that gets better.

There will be content that is difficult to read. Please know it is only my story, and those places I was, I'm not there anymore. Please make sure you are safe, your self-care is a priority-do not continue reading if the content upsets you.

In telling our stories we take control of our narrative. In telling our stories we find solidarity. In telling our stories we let loose the hurt that's imprisoned inside; we stop it from eating us from within and we tell the world, we are not ashamed, bad things happened but they do not define us. In telling our stories we end the stigma. In telling our stories we become empowered, we are empowered. In telling our stories we become the hero, we are the hero.