Jewels Sluiter

“I was never going to share this and I don’t even know exactly where to start, but things have happened recently that have affected the people that I care about and so I’m going to share my story. I’ve suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. Well last November I hit rock bottom. I just remember driving home from campus late at night and wanting to drive my car straight into a tree. I got home, found out I could overdose on my antidepressants, then texted Blake to say goodbye. He instantly called me, begging me to come to his work. It takes everything I have in me to drive 5 minutes to his office, I go inside and break down crying. He calls my amazing best friend, Alex, asks her to come pick me up and she is at the doors almost instantly. I go home with her until Blake picks me up from her apartment. The next day I’m taken by police to the emergency room. Blake meets me there and I’m assessed by the doctors there. It takes several hours for them to convince me that I need to stay in their behavioral health unit. I was so scared and that first night was horrible. I was in clothes that were not mine, a bed that was hard, and a blanket that was too thin. They drew my blood so many times I wasn’t sure if I’d have any left. I was there for four days. The doctors there gave me tools to try and use when I get into a bad spot. They changed my medications, changed how my home life was. I still am so grateful for the support I received in that time of need, and I know if I hadn’t reached out that I wouldn’t be here today. I still have horrible moments with my depression and PTSD that make my life a living hell most days. But I’m pushing on and things are starting to get bright again. I love my job, I love the people I work with, I love my home, my friends, Blake, everything. Please please please reach out to someone. Reach out to ME.”

I’m sorry, we need to take a short break from horses to appreciate that my boyfriend’s cat has a treadmill, and she will only run on it if she has an audience.

Super Important

actual picture of an actual texan on a typical sunday afternoon