Hi, I’m Shaun and I’m an addict. For a while now I’ve been addicted to depression. Since the age of ten I’ve fixated on depression so much so that it became a part of who I am. My friends and family know how much depression has taken a toll on my life and relationships. My depression sparked in sixth grade, when I was severely bullied. Through the years it got better with the help of football and therapy. But on December 20th, 2016 I had made the single biggest mistake of my life. I made a decision to get into a golf cart with my friends. That night I was involved in a golf cart accident which changed my life. I fractured my skull and I learned the true colors of two people who I had considered my friends. But through this injury I gained a family.
Six months later on May 24th, 2017 I had brain surgery. With a small survival rate, I pulled through. Although I needed 58 pints of blood infused over the next ten days, I would consider my surgery a success. It wasn't until October 2017 that my pain turned to chronic migraines and the numbing from the surgery wore off. That's when my life became hell. We had no idea this injury would control my life the way it did. This accident allowed depression to take full control over my life and pushed me to take extreme measures, such as attempting to take my own life, several times.
In a dark time, John Green taught me, those awful things are survivable because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be.” Self awareness is a huge part of life. I’ve had depression for eight years, I’ve had chronic suicidal thoughts and chronic pain for three years, but I’ve realized “its ok to not be ok.” The best thing I ever did was ask for help along the way. I am Shaun Magid and I am one of the millions of faces of depression. I’m not saying this for sympathy, but for others to hear my story and to know that it's ok to struggle. I can't thank my mom enough for her guided assistance through this mission called life.