ALS Challenge: Awareness is Key

Even though my video is at the top, I believe that what I have to say after it is much, much more important.

This week I was nominated by my friend and fellow cymbal lady Makayla McNaughton, to do the ice bucket challenge. Seeing as I don't own a bucket and have no means to make that much ice, Nick (who was also nominated for this challenge) and I jumped into Lake Washington, which is cold and quite murky near the shore. So, we did it-- Go Dawgs!

Well, there's more to the story than that...

Please click this link to watch the ice bucket challenge that brought me to tears. 

ALS is all too real. This, among many other diseases, are breaking down people and their families from the inside out. There is very little research on this topic, and not many people really understand what this disease does. I may not have the best insight, but when people are hurting, I hurt too. How can there be a disease that cripples people neurologically, then physically-- and it to fall upon good people? This breaks me. 

I can't do much, but I donated some to the ALS foundation to which you can too by clicking this link. This whole trend and spreading of awareness has also reminded me of the things I am passionate about. 

I am passionate about mental health, to be more specific, depression and suicide. I have lost people close to me from suicide, and have been affected by depression and self mutilation in my life. 

Though I want to study to become a counselor or therapist, I want to to my part by contributing to organizations that help. So in addition to my donation to ALS, other organizations receiving funds from me includes donating to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, which helps manage most local suicide hotlines (1.800.273.TALK) and I will continue to support To Write Love on Her Arms, an amazing organization that has inspired young and old in renewing their self worth, including myself.

To those that I have challenged, and if I have not challenged you verbally but you are reading this page-- my wish is that you find whatever it is you are passionate about, and spread awareness to all those around you, in hope that change will occur. 

Be the good in this world, one thing at a time.