“My god-brother was murdered by a drug dealer in 2012. His brother came to tell me he was dead, and I went to school because I didn’t know what to do. I continued to try and put on a strong face so that other people wouldn’t see that I was suffering, but I broke down weeping in class in front of a bunch of people. I also had my acting final the day of his funeral and had to go perform right afterward. I fell into depression and developed anxiety and panic attacks. So I dealt with it badly.

I am still deeply saddened by his death, but time and counseling have offered me some relief. I still occasionally cry when I think about him, but I feel like now I am mostly remembering the happy times that we shared.”

~Isabella