Bella inspires change for other kids with psychological disorders

Although Bella lives a pretty “normal” teenage life – she works, enjoys shopping, and hanging out with friends and family – she struggles with psychological disorders that millions of people struggle with across the nation.

Since she was young, Bella struggled with fear and anxiety which began to impact her day to day life, primarily in social settings and in school. After exploring other psychiatric facilities, Bella’s parents believed they exhausted all of their resources and they turned to their local children’s hospital, where she learned how to engage healthy coping skills and self-awareness.

When she was 7, Bella was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “No 7-year-old should feel like they want to commit suicide, and that’s what I felt like,” Bella said. “I’m 16 and I still shouldn’t have to think about that.”

In thinking about her future, she said “I shouldn’t have to think about how am I going to go to college because how am I going to get the emotional support? How am I going to move out of my house, how am I going to keep a job?”

Bella will continue to have her struggles, but she sees her time at her children’s hospital in treatment as the key to her success today. She spends far more time believing in herself and accepting the support of her friends, family and professional support groups. Best of all, she’s planning for the future and she is determined to use her story and experience to help break down the negative stigma that surrounds mental health in the country.

“I would not be sitting here without medication,” Bella mentioned. “We need those things to survive and I think we need to start having a conversation about how can we make [medications] accessible to the people who need them?”

Because of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals donations, Bella’s children’s hospital is equipped with the technology and resources needed to support patients like Bella every day. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals funding has also assisted in financially supporting therapeutic programs, continued schooling for the patients, and renovating areas of the hospital to provide patients the safe, therapeutic, and nurturing environment they need.

See more of Bella’s story from Shodair Children’s Hospital below.

https://www.facebook.com/shodair/videos/2329979677323252/

To see more stories of the CMN Hospitals change makers who know the important role children’s hospitals play in the lives of kids and their families, click here.