Sometimes we don’t get to choose the path life will take us. At 22, I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. I lost my friends, my chance at education, my spot on the Canadian Precision Skating Team. I lost everything. And the reality of the stigma surrounding mental illness became very clear. In this darkness, I felt called to write, and I listened. And all the sensations of life—smell, touch, taste, sound, sight—came alive again. I learned the power of words. It is these precious words that inspire that shining light of hope. This is my journey.