“It’s a bad season, not a bad life.
Your struggles don’t define you.”

We want to express our heartfelt thanks to Melissa for sharing this very REAL post and for being so vocal about mental health challenges that come with cancer diagnosis. It is not easy to talk about it. But we need to talk about it. Addressing mental health should become an integral part of cancer treatment. Thank you Melissa for inspiring all of us to Talk About Ovarian Cancer and mental well being. TOGETHER, We Can Ovarcome! #OvarcomeTogether ********************************************************************************* This is depression. The first picture is what everyone around me sees. The second picture is how I feel. I just saw a psychologist today for the first time. Hopefully with an antidepressant and counseling, I’ll be seeing more of the ‘old me’ soon. And you will too. After a traumatic surgery that ushered in a cancer diagnosis, I shouldn’t be surprised to feel hollow, wrung out and numb. And here I am. Looking at the calendar as Advent is here, Christmas is approaching, and not really caring. Having my ability to care about and encourage others takes more energy than I can gather most days. Just getting through the day is exhausting enough. But I don’t want to hide my pain. Not because I want your pity. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I want you to understand. Depression is real. Trauma is real. Anxiety is real. To have a professional acknowledge that I’m feeling all of those things and more grants a tiny glimmer of freedom to my weary soul. Depression, trauma and anxiety affect many people – but I won’t let them BE my story. I will very hesitantly allow them to be a chapter, but they don’t get to be the title. They aren’t the main character, the hero, or the ending. They aren’t even the antagonist in my story. Sin that entered the world when Satan deceived Eve is the antagonist of my story. And in yours. If you are going through a difficult season, I’m sorry. I wish I could change it for you. But just remember that it’s a bad season, not a bad life. Your struggles don’t define you. I hope you find hope in that truth today…and know I’m preaching it to myself too. Because I need it every second of every day right now. TOGETHER, We Can Ovarcome!