By Summer
Hello, my name is Summer and I live in Nelson, BC. I love my community and greatly value my friends and family, especially my roommate Aisha who has been a great and supportive friend through difficult times: she is my soul-sister.
My life is really good and I am grateful for everything I have; however, I have had my fair share of difficulties. The beginning of my life was marked by major health issues that have continued to follow me. Throughout many times in the hospital, I have had several near-death experiences. This caused my family a great deal of stress, but I have grown strong in my spirit and I can say that I no longer fear death, and neither should anyone else. Perhaps because my life has been so vulnerable, many people felt like they should control my life to keep me safe.
I have had trouble finding friends in the past, and an even harder time finding friends who I could trust and were good for me. Some of these people mistreated me or broke my heart. Even though these experiences hurt me, they have also made me strong because they taught me a lesson.
Self-Advocacy means letting people make their own mistakes and letting the person learn from those mistakes. I have learned that finding good friends is not easy, and so I would advise other people to make sure they value their friendships and keep them strong. My current friendships are the treasures of my life. They make my life easier and help me tolerate the difficulties. While death is only a moment, I believe that the meaning of life is to be found among our friends and family.
Thank you for hearing my story. I hope that anyone who reads this story will be taught that life is short and so you should spend it with those you love.
