"She is clothed in dignity & strength. She smiles without fear of the future." And with that being said, I begin... Picture this, it is August 14th, 2021 and you have been told that in order for you to keep playing the sport you love, you must get another surgery, making it the lucky #7. Would you have kept going? This situation happened to me and I had so much love for the game of basketball, I had the surgery with no hesitation. I was born with a unique pair of legs. Normal on the outside, abnormal on the inside. I had a deformity in both of my feet which required 3 surgeries on my left and 1 surgery on my right. I was then diagnosed with exertional induced compartment syndrome in both my legs, along with tarsal tunnel syndrome in my left ankle, and in summary, the lucky #7 had soon become my favorite number. Each recovery became harder than the last, and each recovery challenged me, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Yet still, I was determined to get back on that basketball court. I was determined, and I persisted every time I had to get surgery. Whether the recovery was 12 months, 6 months, or even 3 months. I tackled each surgery the same and persisted every time. Anytime I got knocked down, I would get back up, shake it off and try again. Even though these surgeries may have been one big obstacle in my life, I honestly considered these as just tiny blessings that have allowed me to face adversity and preserve every time. With my persistence and determination, I will not back down from any challenge that is thrown my way, because whatever it may be, still I will rise.

One thing that I live by is this simple fact... It is okay to not be okay. It took me a while to be okay with not being okay but once I understood that, I was on the road to recovery from my depression. One Solution for helping more people who struggle with mental health is helping them see that it is okay not to be okay. It is okay to be sad, to be angry, to feel down, and it is our job as a community to allow that safe space to not be okay. One way we can do that is by giving people that platform and that safe space of being okay with not being okay. In order for people to start recovering from their mental health, they must accept the fact that they need help. It's like that saying goes "you can lead the horse to water, but you can't force them to drink the water." That is the same way with individuals, you can give them all these solutions but if they are not ready then you cannot force them to seek that help. However, if you provide an environment where it is okay to feel your imperfections, your flaws, your fears then you will allow those individuals to feel okay to express them selfs. The point is not to judge, the point is to allow them to feel okay for not being okay. I know when I began to feel the need to not be perfect anymore the recovery for me began to happen, and slowly but surely, I began to feel okay. It is okay to not be okay.