"All She Has To Do is Breathe"

I contracted Tuberculosis when I was 12 and fought it off, at least I thought I did. It resurfaced when I was 17 and through a second round of stronger medication, I fought it off. That was until 3 years ago when it popped up yet again for a 3rd time. Each bout meant quarantine in a hospital room; it meant people who I considered my friends turning a blind eye and excommunicating with me. I was in a dark place, but then my cousin came by and gave me a key with the word BREATHE on it. It reminded me that through all my hardships, I'm still standing, I'm still living, I'm still breathing. 

I wore it everywhere, and it stayed on me forever. Then one day, I took it off, placed it in a box in my room and forgot about it; I didn't need it anymore. I moved out of my family's house and lived alone. That's when I met my friend Faith. Sweetest person I've ever met, my twin in almost every way. The more I got to know her, the more I got to know her fears, her troubles, her anxiety. To know someone who deep down is the most wholesome, calm, real person and then see her fears, and anxiety take over, it's heart breaking at times. I did what any human being would do, I was just there for her, there for anything and everything. 

Then just recently, my mom was cleaning out/rearranging things in my old room and stumbled upon the necklace, when I came to visit, she gave it back to me and the second I saw it, I knew what I had to do. I packaged it up, and sent it to her for her birthday. Now she has it and wears it, whenever she's overwhelmed, confused, down, the key is there to remind her that she got this, she can do anything, all she has to do is BREATHE.

Read Next