Some posts I write for fun. This one I write with my whole heart, because it’s stitched into my own story … the hardest parts of it, and the most hopeful.
If you’ve followed along here for a while, you know I believe in healing out loud. That means telling the truth about where I’ve been, not because the past defines me, but because someone walking through it right now needs to know they’re not alone. So here’s some truth.
My Story
In my early teenage years, I struggled with anorexia.
After a string of traumatic events in my early childhood, an eating disorder became the one thing I felt I could control when everything else felt unsafe. I won’t go into the details … partly because they don’t matter to where I am now, and partly because I’d never want to hand anyone who’s hurting a roadmap. What matters is that it grew bigger than me, and it eventually landed me in the hospital while I was away on a church youth group trip.
I was one of the lucky ones. I had people, good, steady people, who didn’t look away. They got me to the hospital, and then they did the harder, slower work of sitting with me, talking through things, refusing to let me disappear. Some of those same people are still in my life today, all these years later. I don’t think I’d be here without them, and I don’t say that lightly.
But my story didn’t end with an eating disorder. Like so many of us, I’ve also known loss. I lost a friend to suicide. I have family members and friends who have battled self-injury and depression. These aren’t statistics to me. They’re faces. They’re people I love.
That’s why an organization like To Write Love on Her Arms is so close to my heart. It speaks directly to the things that have touched my own life and it does it with hope.
The Story Behind the Name
To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) didn’t start as a nonprofit. It started as one person trying to help one friend.
Back in 2006, a man named Jamie Tworkowski met a young woman named Renee who was struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and thoughts of suicide. When she was turned away from a treatment center, Jamie and a group of friends simply stayed with her … loving her through five of her darkest days until she could enter treatment. To help cover the cost, they sold T-shirts. And Jamie wrote down what those days had been like, posting the story online under the title To Write Love on Her Arms.
He never expected what happened next. Messages began pouring in from people all over the world. People carrying the same heavy things, longing to be free, reaching out to ask for hope. What started as a single story became a movement.
Today, TWLOHA is a nonprofit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. They’ve invested millions of dollars directly into treatment and recovery, they fund therapy and treatment scholarships for people who can’t afford care, and their FIND HELP tool connects people to local mental health resources right where they live. They act as a bridge, not a replacement for professional care, but a way to reach it.
And here’s the part that gets me every time: TWLOHA is based in Melbourne, Florida … right in the Space Coast area where I grew up. A movement that has reached millions of hurting people around the world started in my own backyard. I’ve never gotten over that.
Why I Show Up for This Mission
My connection to TWLOHA isn’t just admiration from a distance. Over the years I attended their events, and back when I worked at a college I helped start a campus chapter so students would know help was within reach. I’ve worn the shirts, shared the message, and shown up however I could.
These days I’m a ways away from the Space Coast and I’m still walking my own healing road. But the mission hasn’t loosened its grip on me one bit. If anything, the more of life I live, the more I understand how badly the world needs places that say, out loud: you matter, and you don’t have to carry this alone.
If You’re Struggling Right Now
I want to speak directly to you for a moment. Yes, you.
If you’re fighting depression, an eating disorder, self-injury, addiction, or thoughts of suicide, please hear me: there is hope, and there is help, and reaching for it is one of the bravest things a person can do. You are not weak. You are not a burden. You are not beyond reaching. Your story is so far from over.
You don’t have to white-knuckle this alone. Please reach out:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential, 24/7.
- Veterans Crisis Line — Dial 988, then Press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. 24/7, for veterans, service members, and their families.
- National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline — Call 866-662-1235 (Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm ET) to talk with licensed eating-disorder specialists and get referrals to care; search treatment options anytime at findEDhelp.com. (For 24/7 support, call or text 988, or text “ALLIANCE” to 741741.)
- Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 to reach a trained crisis counselor. 24/7.
- TWLOHA FIND HELP Tool — Visit twloha.com/find-help to find mental health resources near you.
If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
You are worth every bit of that effort. I promise.
How You Can Help
If, like me, this mission tugs at your heart, there are beautiful ways to be part of it:
- Join Team TWLOHA. You can run or walk any race — a local 5K, a half marathon, whatever fits your body and your season — and turn it into a fundraiser for TWLOHA. You set your own goal, at your own pace. (As someone whose body has its own limits these days, I love that this honors the small, quiet acts of courage just as much as the big ones.) Learn more at twloha.com.
- Share the FIND HELP tool. Sometimes the most life-giving thing you can do is hand someone a door they didn’t know existed. Pass it along.
- Support the mission. Whether through a one-time gift, becoming a monthly donor, or simply talking openly about mental health in your own circle — every bit helps carry hope further.
Move for something that matters. For your own healing, for someone in recovery, or in memory of someone you’ve lost. I’ll be cheering you on.
As TWLOHA so beautifully puts it: hope is real, help is real, and your story is important. I believe that with everything in me … for them, for you, and for the girl I used to be.
New here? You can read more about me and my journey on My Story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA)? TWLOHA is a nonprofit movement that presents hope and helps people find support for depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. It grew from a single story written in 2006 and now invests directly in treatment and recovery while connecting people to mental health resources.
Is TWLOHA a crisis hotline? No. TWLOHA acts as a “bridge to help”. Its FIND HELP tool points you toward local resources, and it funds treatment and recovery. If you need immediate crisis support, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
How can I find help for an eating disorder? The National Alliance for Eating Disorders helpline (866-662-1235) is staffed by licensed eating-disorder specialists who can connect you with care, and you can search treatment options at findEDhelp.com. For 24/7 support, call or text 988 or text “ALLIANCE” to 741741.
How can I support TWLOHA? You can join Team TWLOHA and fundraise through any race you choose, become a monthly donor, share their resources, or simply help break the silence around mental health in your own community.
Why does TWLOHA matter to you personally? Because its mission touches the very things that have shaped my life … recovering from an eating disorder, losing a friend to suicide, and loving people who’ve struggled with depression and self-injury. Hope and help saved my life, and I want that for others.
NOTE: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been thoroughly updated, including every crisis resource, so the information here is current and trustworthy. If you’re hurting, please don’t wait to reach out. There is always hope.
Leave a Reply