“I was 19 when I found out I was expecting my son. My boyfriend was young and unaware, my sister was busy with college and working full-time, my mom worked a lot of hours and my best friend was leaving for the Army. I felt very much alone. I was the first of all of my friends to get pregnant and I watched my friends go out and party and live a life that I could not be a part of. I stopped being invited to hang out or go places. Nobody wanted to hang out with the pregnant girl, or so it seemed anyway. But having my son was one of the best things that ever happened to me. For years I had suffered very quietly with depression and anxiety and only a year prior I had attempted to take my own life. My son brought incredible purpose and meaning to my life and I couldn’t imagine not being around to see him grow and learn and prosper.”