Spoken Hope Member - Kayden

Hi my name is Kayden. I am a 16-year-old from Sarnia. I have been diagnosed with Depression, Anxiety and Borderline Personality Disorder. All my life I grew up feeling alone and like I had nowhere to go. I was bullied most school days about my weight and my appearance. I remember I went home crying on the bus almost every day because of something people had said about me. Years of crying alone and speaking to no one left me to think taking my life would be the only way out of my own head.

At the age of 13 was my first hospitalization but, as an athlete, I was missing out on games and practices. I rushed the process lied, put my guard up and moved on like everything was fine. 3 months later after I had just gotten home from Florida I tried to take my life. This time in the hospital was different, I was transferred to London. I met so many new and amazing people to help me. After 3 months I came out a different optimistic person who could’ve taken on the world.

Grade 9 hit pretty hard, I had lost my Grandma who was my best friend and my uncle to suicide. I experienced a trauma of losing my family but also losing a piece of myself during this whole downswing. On top of the whole grieving process, I was sexually assaulted, it took a long time for me to come to terms with saying those words. I never wanted to believe it could’ve happened to me. But it has shaped me into who I am today. I could not have done this without my family and best friends. I've learned to cope and conquer my emotions every day even when the worst is thrown at me. I have developed a positive outlook on life and have made my story a reason to help others!

Kayden