Rysa

A message of hope from Rysa:

"Finding strength in these times may be hard, but you must realize that you are more powerful than you feel right now. You may feel like you have no control over your life, and you are just going through the motions. While feeling that way is okay, I cannot stress enough how important it is to not stay in that head space. Pain can be all-consuming, and you must have a healthy outlet that can, at the very least, distract you from those dark times. One piece of advice I have is to take those emotions and create. Create art, create music, create things for yourself and others, and do what you must do to survive.

You have a unique perspective on life after you have gone through something like this, and you can use it to your advantage. Your experiences are special, and you have tools to help others. Have hope and carry it with you through this. Think of hope as a fire that you must feed to prevent the light from going out. It’s not easy and you will struggle. The world is going to tell you to give up and move on, but no one can take hope away from you. Siblings do come home, and my family is living proof. I believe in you and want you to believe in yourself too."