At last, with calm and courage, I can finally put into

writing what I have postponed for months. Revealing

deeply personal and sometimes embarrassing details is

not something one easily does. We often carry our pain

and struggles quietly, hiding them in the safe corners of

our hearts. We convince ourselves that our battles are

unique, preferring to show the world a cleaner, brighter

version of who we are. Many will maintain this façade for

as long as they can keep hiding, pretending, and living

double lives until they are completely broken. Only when

there is nowhere else to turn does one finally speak.

This book is a recollection of my two-year battle with a

merciless beast an enemy that bows to no strength or

threat. It is a monster with double-edged fangs, like a

venomous green snake concealed beneath freshly cut

grass. This beast—depression—is fearless and

indiscriminate, crossing barriers of class, race, creed,

and faith. Its destruction leaves countless victims as

shadows of their former selves. Yet among them are a

few who rise, who summon their last ounce of strength

to fight back. To those, life grants the crown of a

humbling victory.

This is my story of walking through hell, losing my way,

and finding a new path toward healing from the

suffocating grip of depression.