The day I met Nora was one of the best days of my life. Little did I know, that meeting her would change the way I viewed life.

She was in the school gym on her phone waiting for her parents to come and pick her up from the volleyball tryouts. She had long, dark, curly hair. She had glasses that seemed to cover her bashful, timid face. I had heard from one of the volleyball coaches that she passed the running test with a high score, and I was there to recruit her for cross country.

“Hi! My name is Andrea, and I had heard you passed the line test with flying colors. I am here to ask you if you would like to join the cross country team.”

She introduced herself as Nora, and was interested in my proposition to join. She wanted to come to practice as soon as possible.

The nest day, Nora showed up to practice, and from then on I knew she was going to be extraordinary. Nora was radiant, but shy. She was bold and confident, yet form the look in her eyes you could see a dark, saddened girl. Something was missing from Nora.

Nora and I became very close friends. I had introduced her to the world of cross country, and she absolutely loved it. We both had a deep passion for it. Nora and I had a friendship that no one could break. We shared everything with each other including our deepest secrets, crushes, feelings, and our opinions. We were the closest of friends…or so I thought.

It was a cool, October Friday night. Nora and I were at a home football game having a good time. We were at the very top of the stands laughing, talking, and cheering. Nora was wearing a sweatshirt with some jean shorts. I had bent down to get my drink, and I noticed that Nora’s shorts had come up a little. Something on her thigh had caught my eye. I saw several peculiar lines on her thigh. After several seconds I pulled her shorts up higher, and finally realized what those lines were. She forcefully grabbed my hand, and quickly pulled her shorts down so no one else saw.  I didn’t know what to think. I just couldn’t believe she was cutting herself. Nora seemed so happy with her life. Nora could tell I was shocked by my horrified expression on my face. She pulled me aside to tell me her story.

Nora moved here from Georgia leaving her girlfriend, Jasmine, behind. Jasmine was several years older than Nora, and Jasmine constantly verbally abused Nora. Jasmine was so cruel to Nora, but Nora had fallen for Jasmine. Their relationship was toxic. After Nora moved, Jasmine proposed to another girl, and Nora was broken. To make things worse, she had to move. It was hard for Nora to move; Georgia was her home. Then, when she joined the cross country team, she met a girl named Hannah. Nora had fallen hard for Hannah. Hannah fell, too. Though, Hannah had a boyfriend, and didn’t want to leave him for Nora. Nora was again, heartbroken. On top of that, she was having problems with her mother. Nora’s mother was treating her like she was worthless. Nora told me she was feeling depressed, and how she was hurting herself for a while now. She told me that the only reason she is alive right now is because of me and the cross country team.

Depression is a very serious concern, no matter what age. Each year approximately five thousand young adults kill themselves because of depression. Depression can be caused by several factors such as long-term unemployment, living in an abusive or uncaring relationship, and long-term isolation or loneliness. The rate of suicide in young adults’ caused by depression has tripled since 1960. In the United States, depression has increased by thirty-seven percent since 2015. Depression is very serious, and can be caused by almost anything.
It all made sense, now. That dark, hurt saddened look in Nora’s eyes was depression. I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice her acting this way. She hid her feelings so well. I would have never guessed she was broken inside. I made a vow to myself that night; I vowed that I would help Nora overcome this problem in her life no matter how long it took.

I told Nora that she needed to see a counselor as soon as possible. Nora surprisingly agreed. She didn’t want her problem to get any worse than it already was. When the day came, she was scared of what the consequences will be. She thought that her mother would think that she was faking her depression to gain attention. She had so much doubt and anxiety in her mind that she didn’t want to go anymore.

“Nora, I am here for you, always. No matter what happens after this, I will always be here for you. You’ll be so much happier when you do this. I love you so much, and I know you can overcome this.”

“Thank you so much, Andrea. You’ve truly been here for me and I am grateful. Thank you.”

Nora is a bright, funny, and amazing woman. She is bold, confident, and from the look in her eyes you can see a happy, radiant, powerful person. Nora overcame depression, and she is so much happier ever since she bravely told the counselor her problem. She has shaped into a beautiful and courageous woman.

I helped my friend overcome depression, and from this, I have learned valuable teachings. Life is beautiful, and every human being needs to cherish their life. We need to help all human beings by being kind and loving because you never know what is going on in people’s lives. You might be the reason why they are alive right now. From this experience I faced, I learned to love all people and to cherish our lives because our lives are worth living.