I was sixteen when I was diagnosed with a mental health disability. I thought my world was coming to an end. My family and I had no idea what the journey would be in May 2005. Later we would find out the road was hard and it would be a challenge for a lifetime.

Through it all my mother had built a foundation for me by keeping me involved in church and praying on a regular basis. I carried these godly principles with me over the course of my battle with my mental health challenges. Many hospitalizations and storms later, I know that when my world is falling apart, God finds a way to hold it together.

I have attempted suicide and I survived. I have been homeless and couch-surfed because I had nowhere to go and felt unwanted. God has taken me through things that keep me close to Him no matter what I face. You cannot do life without God. I would not be where I am today without God’s grace. I am glad that the doctors had it wrong and that God had other plans. A person who struggles with a mental health disability is a person that needs a lot of love and compassion as we all do.

I learned to live with my mental health challenges. I accepted that my struggles don’t define me. Early on doctors told my parents that I would not complete high school and if I did, I would not finish college because my struggles were severe. My father told me after we left the hospital in 2005 that I could do anything. He also told me not to use my illness as a crutch.

I am a fighter, and persistent, and I don’t give up easily. God is the source of everything I have acquired. He gave me the grace to have it all. I am not special. I am a child of God and He allows me the same grace He gives anyone else.

I finished high school in the top 10% of my graduating class. God has given me the ability to succeed with the challenges present and the obstacles stacked against me. I have accomplished a lot through God’s grace. I completed my first degree in Psychology in 2011. I completed my master’s in Social Work in 2015.

I became a self-published author in 2016. Since then I have written three books, “The Dealt Haand: The Story of my Battle with Mental Illness”, The Art of Resilience: Dreaming and Overcoming the Challenges of Life, and Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence: R.I.S.E.” I founded Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence in 2019 and I started a professional blog in 2018.

Battling mental illness with God has been a journey. Those who don’t have this battle or watched someone fight this battle will never understand. Some will let mass media paint the picture of mental illness. Some will walk in fear of individuals who fight to survive the struggles of their mind. I may stumble, but God gives me grace to walk this battle out in victory every step of the way.

I want the readers of my blog to know I post because I know that I am not alone in the struggles I have faced. I am in many ways still facing challenges. I created this blog because God said it’s time to inspire and encourage others. It has been five years and I know that this blog helps me as well as my readers.

The most important thing to remember is, not to let anyone put limitations on you because all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).

Have a deeper look at my journey in my memoir, “The Dealt Hand: The Story of my Battle with Mental Illness.