☺️ Going to get a little personal and more vulnerable for a ..

☺️ Going to get a little personal and more vulnerable for a minute! This is Izzy she is my 18 year old daughter’s Cat 🐈‍⬛ She’s not just any cat to my daughter or to our family!! She’s a live saver and so are so many of you! 3 years ago today my now 18 year old daughter was released from the hospital after a 5 Day stay on a Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit due to Suicidal Ideation and a Severe Battle with Depression and Anxiety. This was by far the scariest time in my life as a parent! I knew she had been struggling we talked about it often I checked in with her daily! I bought books on anxiety and how to cope! Had her friends over to talk openly about what they were all feeling and going through but despite all my efforts that wasn’t enough. I just happened to be the school nurse at her high school at the time! Talking with and supporting students suffering from depression and anxiety was something like 70% of my job it seemed like! I worked closely with our amazing school Counselors and I’m so thankful that my daughter felt comfortable enough to open up and tell someone she was not okay. It was so heartbreaking seeing your chi…ld hurting so much and so deep and feeling like there’s no hope. But there was and there is! Quickly we realized her depression had taken a deep turn and we needed intervention. She was admitted to the inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit. I was able to talk to her daily and visit her daily. Which I was so thankful for bc that’s only way either of us would have gotten through those long 5 Days and Nights! Bringing her home was not what I I thought it would be…and honestly only a couple hours after being home I thought we would end up right back bc I was so afraid I couldn’t keep her safe but we made it through that night and thank goodness all the nights since then. That’s where Izzy came in! While my daughter was inpatient I rescued her from the animal shelter and had her waiting for her when she came home. My daughter needed her! She became much more than a therapy cat! Has it been easy? Absolutely not! It’s the scariest feeling knowing your chi…ld is suffering and praying the deep sadness and depression she fights daily won’t win! Leaving the hospital we both felt relief but I was also so frustrated and scared that I didn’t have the tools to keep her safe. They sent us on our way with a safety plan and instruction to get her a Therapist and Psychiatrist and maybe find an Intensive Outpatient Program. After a lot of research we found one and it was amazing! It was 6 weeks long All Day Mon-Fri with parents every Wednesday to learn and discuss how they were doing and what coping mechanisms they were learning. It was super expensive and our insurance didn’t cover it. But I’m so grateful for this platform for so many reasons but financially it allowed me to not have to even think twice or stress about getting her in that program. Maybe I wouldn’t have thought twice regardless in that situation but knowing it would be okay financially allowed us to get her the help she and we so desperately needed. So when I say I’m thankful for each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart I am for so many reasons including help save my daughters life! She fights her anxiety and depression every day! It’s not going away but there is help and there is hope! If you or someone you know is struggling please get help! Talk to someone! #MentalHealthAwareness #Hope #BeKind Call 988 Mental Health Crisis Number in the US.