On March 4, 2015, Jared Padalecki, an actor who is famous for playing Dean Forester on "Gilmore Girls" and Sam Winchester on "Supernatural," started the Always Keep Fighting (AKF) campaign. He partnered with To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) and Represent.com to sell T-shirts, tank tops and sweatshirts to raise awareness of mental illness. He suffers from clinical depression, and, after losing a friend to suicide, he launched the campaign. Then he took some time off of to deal with his mental illness while going to "Supernatural" conventions in Europe because he was struggling with exhaustion and his depression. I started watching "Supernatural" around this time and heard about the Always Keep Fighting campaign when I started following his page on Facebook. Having suffered from depression and anxiety, prior to being diagnosed with PTSD, I decided to look into it. I found a support group on Facebook that was started because of Padalecki's campaign, and I have communicated and read so many inspiring people and their stories.
This campaign means so much to me because it was the first time I found someone sharing a story that I could connect to. The show "Supernatural" deals with a lot of heavy things, and Padalecki's character, Sam, deals with depression many times. I was always touched by his performances of those particular scenes, and once I found that he actually suffered from depression in real life, it made his performances all the more meaningful. For the first time, I encountered a famous person that seemed to understand, and care, about his fans' struggles with mental illness. I know there are many more celebrities who are open about their struggles with mental illness, but I never seemed to relate. I've seen photos of Jared and his costar, Jensen Ackles, hugging fans at conventions because they are really anxious and start to cry or cry while thanking them for launching the AKF campaign. I can't afford to go to conventions or buy the shirts, but that doesn't mean that this campaign and the people I have talked to because of it haven't given me the strength to share my own story.
The one-year anniversary of this campaign passed weeks ago, and on that anniversary, he launched the Love Yourself First campaign in connection with AKF. This campaign is also important because it's true. You must love yourself first because the relationship with yourself is the most important one of them all.
In a way, this is a thank you to Jared and Jensen for opening up about something that is so close to my heart. In another way, it is a shout out to all of the wonderful people who have already shared their stories because of Jared and his campaign. Most importantly, it is about why I feel so comfortable sharing my story with my friends, family and the people reading these articles. I hope to inspire everyone to share their struggles like the AKF campaign inspired me to do.
No one is alone in what they are going through. There's always someone out there who understands, cares and supports you. I have so many people in my life who are that someone, and I hope everyone can find at least one person who is that someone for them. Always remember — always keep fighting! It will get better, I promise.
