Who Is Your Hero?

Do you have a personal hero? Tell us about them. It doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Your Everyday Hero: Carole M.

A year ago I had fallen into a deep depression. As I drifted further and further into despair, I began to have thoughts of suicide and suffered severe anxiety. I developed severe insomnia, had gone a week with only about six hours of sleep. I felt like I was losing my mind. I went online one day and my old friend, Carole, was online as well. We hadn't seen each other in more than 25 years but had gotten back in touch two years before. I told her what I was going through and she told me to call her immediately.

Carole became an angel to me as she lent me her strength and courage. She encouraged me to seek medical help and get the medication that I so badly needed - and to not be afraid to do so. She was on call for me at all hours of the day and night and insisted that I call her whenever I felt the need. She talked to me at 1am, 2am, 3am, 10pm, midnight, etc. for days, until my medication began to work. We had a standing appointment for a phone call each night after she got home from work.
She went without sleep herself many nights to be there for me when I needed to talk. She was calm, reassuring, and compassionate. She helped me to believe in myself, to value myself as a human being. I believe through her my life was saved.

Story was submitted anonymously