Andrea Escobio In the seventh grade, I met my best friend. Full of love, benevolence, and compassion, she brought out the best in me. I became more selfless and kinder towards others, flourishing from the positive influence she bestowed upon me. Seemingly always content, she was a steady rock for me to lean on and was always there to listen to my incessant rambling over the smallest things, whether it was regarding school, soccer, or pointless drama. She was always there for me- but I felt that I was useless in helping her. I found it unusual that while I was an open book pouring my soul out to her regarding the slightest inconveniences, she was consistently lighthearted and untroubled by the adversities presented to her, never complaining no matter how much was on her plate. I was conscious of the impact she had on me throughout our following years of friendship as evidenced through my enhanced character, but I was unaware of the impact I had on her. I did not realize the deep profundity that our friendship had on her until my junior year. It was a Friday night like any other, beginning with tremendous amounts of fast food and ending with a late-night television marathon. That night, we decided to watch the show 13 Reasons Why, a series following the events leading a teenage girl to commit suicide. In the midst of watching the show, my friend broke down in tears. Baffled as to why she was so invested in the story, I asked her what was bothering her. She looked at me deeply, with tears flowing from her eyes. The words that came out of her mouth
next both broke my heart and filled it with inspiration, changing my perspective on life from that moment forward. In the United States, there is one suicide every thirteen minutes, approximating to 113 suicides per day. Each and every day I thank God that that number did not increase, as the 114th one would have represented my best friend. I held on to her hand, with tears flowing from each and every one of her words. “I had thought about killing myself. I did not feel like I had a purpose in life and that the world would be better off without me. You are one of the few reasons I decided that life was worth living.” Choking on tears, my eyes and heart were opened. Small acts of kindness which often go unrecognized, something as simple as a compliment or telling someone that you care about them, were enough to save my friend’s life. From that day forward, I promised myself that I would go out of my way to be kind and that I would make a conscious effort to look for the signs one may be struggling to hide. This new lens I wore allowed me to see these signs in someone 1,087 miles away. This boy, although being a plane flight away, was one of the people I considered myself closest to. He was funny, exuberant, and always lifted my spirits. I began to realize that he was always there to listen to my concerns but seemed to belittle or minimize the importance of his- this was a pattern I knew far too well. After gently confronting him, I learned that he suffered from both addiction and depression. He told me that I was the only person that realized he was
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