When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse generally spends the most time with patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more time you spend with your patient, the more you know, and the more you know, the better you can help. I have an intense passion for caretaking and crave more knowledge the longer I am in the field. Using this difficult experience to fuel my ambition has made my passion for nursing grow further. Suicide does not take the pain away but passes it along to others, and I have carried it with me all these years. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I still share a lot of guilt. As an adult, all I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse generally spends the most time with patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more time you spend with your patient, the more you know, and the more you know, the better you can help. I have an intense passion for caretaking and crave more knowledge the longer I am in the field. Using this difficult experience to fuel my ambition has made my passion for nursing grow further. Suicide does not take the pain away but passes it along to others, and I have carried it with me all these years. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I still share a lot of guilt. As an adult, all I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse generally spends the most time with patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more time you spend with your patient, the more you know, and the more you know, the better you can help. I have an intense passion for caretaking and crave more knowledge the longer I am in the field. Using this difficult experience to fuel my ambition has made my passion for nursing grow further. Suicide does not take the pain away but passes it along to others, and I have carried it with me all these years. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I still share a lot of guilt. As an adult, all I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a major comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse generally spends the most time with patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more time you spend with your patient, the more you know, and the more you know, the better you can help. I have an intense passion for caretaking and crave more knowledge the longer I am in the field. Using this difficult experience to fuel my ambition has made my passion for nursing grow further because I would like to teach others and pray that they will not find themselves under the same circumstance I had been in as a child. Suicide does not take the pain away, unfortunately. It only passes it along to others, and I have carried it with me all these years. As a child, there was only so much you can do, but as an adult, you can make a greater impact. The impact that I intend to make is to make sure no one else feels or felt the same way I did ever again. To me, a successful career is a fulfilling career. Once you feel that you have a purpose and you are truly content with the choices you have made, then this is a successful career. A fulfilling career for me would be a career in nursing because of having that one-on-one time with patients. Seeing a new patient each day is like putting together a new puzzle. Each case gets your brain working and I love being challenged. I enjoy learning new things as well. Once you get to the conclusion of a case, to me there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you did everything you could to make this patient feel better. A couple of accomplishments that I am proud of are my Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Nutrition, certifications in Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy, and the volunteering services I have provided in food pantries, homeless shelters, and caregiving facilities during covid. These experiences have led me to where I am today, in pursuit of a nursing degree.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a major comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse generally spends the most time with patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more time you spend with your patient, the more you know, and the more you know, the better you can help. I have an intense passion for caretaking and crave more knowledge the longer I am in the field. Using this difficult experience to fuel my ambition has made my passion for nursing grow further because I would like to teach others and pray that they will not find themselves under the same circumstance I had been in as a child. Suicide does not take the pain away, unfortunately. It only passes it along to others, and I have carried it with me all these years. As a child, there was only so much you can do, but as an adult, you can make a greater impact. The impact that I intend to make is to make sure no one else feels or felt the same way I did ever again. To me, a successful career is a fulfilling career. Once you feel that you have a purpose and you are truly content with the choices you have made, then this is a successful career. A fulfilling career for me would be a career in nursing because of having that one-on-one time with patients. Seeing a new patient each day is like putting together a new puzzle. Each case gets your brain working and I love being challenged. I enjoy learning new things as well. Once you get to the conclusion of a case, to me there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you did everything you could to make this patient feel better. A couple of accomplishments that I am proud of are my Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Nutrition, certifications in Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy, and the volunteering services I have provided in food pantries, homeless shelters, and caregiving facilities during covid. These experiences have led me to where I am today, in pursuit of a nursing degree.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. It has taught me that things are not always as they seem. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse spends the most time with their patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more you know about your patient, the more you can do to help in any way that you can. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I share a lot of guilt that I spent every day with this man but could not do anything to change his mind or help him. I was just a child. As an adult, all I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. It has taught me that things are not always as they seem. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. It is important to me to pursue a career in nursing so that I educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. A nurse spends the most time with their patients and to me, it's the most rewarding career choice to make. The more you know about your patient, the more you can do to help in any way that you can. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I share a lot of guilt that I spent every day with this man but could not do anything to change his mind or help him. I was just a child. As an adult, all I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.

When I was 12 years old, I lost my grandfather to suicide. We spent almost every day together and he was my best friend. We grew to be very close to one another. My household was not too stable growing up and I found that spending time with my grandfather took my mind off of it quite often. He lived right next to my elementary school, so I would have breakfast at his house, then he would walk me to school every day. After school was over, I would always find him standing by the flag pole, already waiting to walk me back to his home. The feeling I had when I spent time with him was like no other. The best way to describe it was the same feeling you get when you are cozy in bed after a long day. Peaceful. I felt truly at ease when I was with him. I was never scared or felt the instability of what had been my life at that time. His health gradually began to decline after some time. A man who once was big, happy and jolly, became quiet, weak, and frail. He started with inhalers, then wearing oxygen at his nose every minute of the day. His weight had drastically dropped and he was not able to enjoy spending time with me as he used to. He would not eat or sleep. He refrained from ever leaving the house or even taking his medicine. As a child, it was very difficult to understand why and I often blamed myself. Our family knew that he had other health issues but his mood went completely unnoticed. Even in this day and age, mental health is not taken seriously among most communities. If anyone had just noticed or even lent a hand to him, maybe we could have saved his life. Losing my grandfather to suicide changed my life in so many aspects. It has taught me to cherish every second with my loved ones. It has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding toward others because we never know the demons they silently fight. It has taught me that things are not always as they seem. More importantly, it taught me that mental health is just as important as one's physical health. This tragic experience drives me to make a difference in the healthcare field. As a nursing student, I intend to educate myself and others as much as I can about the importance and impact depression can have on society. Depression can lead to suicide and is a comorbidity of many other diseases and disorders. With the proper knowledge and support system, we could save a lot of lives. It has been 12 years since we lost my grandfather and I still think about him today. I share a lot of guilt that I spent every day with this man but could not do anything to change his mind. All I can do now is use the education I have received and all the determination I have to save someone else's grandfather or loved one.