TWLOHA videos always brighten my day! As for winning that million dollars...Wow. I personally felt that every organization vying for that money deserved it, but I couldn't be happier knowing that it went to TWLOHA. Millions of dollars to create millions of moments worth remembering, sharing, and re-living.

1 | Left by Rachel | Jan. 17, 2012 at 6:14pm

Thank you. I don't have many more words than that. I am sitting here in my dorm, alone, terrified of my struggle. I am terrified I will never have the chance to make a difference in the world like you all have in my life. But as I sit here hurting, struggling, fighting, I realize something. I am fighting. I picked up my phone and called a crisis hotline tonight. I needed to talk to someone and I needed to break that silence that is so heavy and so dark. I talked to a woman who didn't know me or my problems, but she still is giving me the strength to face another day. Like the woman from the hotline, you give me the strength and inspiration to go beyond mere survival. I want to vibrant and powerful and memorable. I want to make each day great--not because they are numbered but because they are many. I want to laugh, sing, dance, smile, love, pray, and believe. I want to feel the good and the bad because that means I am alive. Thank you for reminding me of that everyday and inspiring me to live each day like that. Thank you for helping me see truth and love and life in the smallest moments. Thank you for saving me.

2 | Left by Sammi | Jan. 17, 2012 at 10:03pm

Amazing, i'm so glad to see TWLOHA won. i know heavy & light's journey around the country is just begging but it'd be amazing to see you in Australia:)

3 | Left by Zach | Jan. 18, 2012 at 8:34am

the heavy and light video really hit home for me. change is something I've longed for for so long that it has seemed nearly impossible. I wish it were easy. I wish I could wake up one day and forget all the pain and struggle and every scar that has lead me here. I wish I could just say I was leaving it behind and do just that but it's not that easy. it's not easy at all. I'm so thankful for this site. it means so much to me to know that there are other people out there who can understand exactly how I feel along with a group of people who aren't afraid or skeptical about how I feel. it makes me feel a little less ashamed and a little easier to see myself outside of failure and pain. thank you so much for all you do for me and those like me. sometimes your words are what sticks with me and gets me through the day.

4 | Left by tasha | Jan. 18, 2012 at 5:17pm

Wow. These videos are phenomenal. I watched the American Giving Awards (well, DVR'ed the next day) but watching these again brought (happy) tears to my eyes. This organization is instrumental in sharing so much hope in so many ways and places. Hope is REAL. That is a truth I cling to. (I can't afford not to!)

@Sammi - I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for sharing your story. But, more than that, thank you for fighting...for YOU. I am glad you are seeking help. Breaking the silence, especially in the midst of broken dreams sometimes, is really hard to do. Please keep holding on, and please also keep reaching out. Your life is worth it. Your story is important! Don't ever feel alone in your struggles.

@Tasha - I'm with you - I wish change and situations just being different were easier. I can agree that it'd be easier if life had a rewind button, and we could just somehow forget the pain, broken pieces and scars that have led us to where we are today...but, that isn't possible. And, there is this part of me that's glad. Because, without the experiences that have led me to where I am today, I would not be able to relate, nor share hope on the level that I can with so many different people. Do not ever be ashamed of your feelings. Your feelings are real, and they are important. Your life matters - don't ever give up. You are NOT alone in this world.

5 | Left by Laura | Jan. 18, 2012 at 7:16pm

I'm so overjoyed that TWLOHA won the million dollars! They have helped so many people already and I hope that they continue to have a positive influence for years to come.
@Laura- Your words are beautiful and true. Thank you for taking the time to encourage other people who are hurting!!

6 | Left by Emily | Jan. 19, 2012 at 5:08pm

I've been thinking a lot about TWLOHA lately. Although my own personal struggle has left me feeling broken down and hopeless, reading and watching the wonderful things this organization is doing warms my heart. There are so many people who need help--so many people who need to know that they matter, that they are important. The fact that you guys work so hard to send that message to people means a lot. My silly words don't matter, but I just wanted to say thank you. Even as I sit here and doubt my own life, I see the hope for so many others.

7 | Left by Tara | Jan. 19, 2012 at 7:16pm

Dear Tara, Your words are not silly. They matter. YOU matter. There is hope for you not just other people. I hope that you see that today.

8 | Left by Emily | Jan. 19, 2012 at 7:26pm

@Emily - Yes, they have helped so many countless people - myself included. There is no thanks necessary to just sit here and encourage others. I read here often, but was not sure when or if it was alright to just post in reply to everyone else. It is an honor to stand with and believe in other people who are hurting...not because I'm perfect, but because I understand pain. I know what it's like to hurt, but also know what it's like to find help and truly know that hope is real.

@Tara - I would like to just encourage you that (most likely) each and every one of us has felt hopeless and/or broken at one point or another. Ya know what? You DO matter. You are a precious life, and YOU are worth fighting for. I know sometimes it's hard to see or find hope, but please know that it is real...and that it IS for you. Do not EVER give up hope. You do not have to walk through life alone in this world. Not now...not ever. Smile, and know that you are loved, and that people that may not even know you in real life believe in you and KNOW that you matter.

9 | Left by Laura | Jan. 20, 2012 at 12:57pm

Last night I was really struggling with feeling like I don't deserve the help that I'm getting. That I'm not worth it. That it would be time better spent for someone else. Thank you for showing me that's not true.

10 | Left by Jenna | Jan. 20, 2012 at 3:02pm

I wish I could understand what you all are saying, but honestly, I just can't. I'm just not in a place right now where I can believe that this will get any better. I'm fighting so hard, but I'm tired. I watch all of this happiness and hope from a distance. I'm always on the outside looking in. I feel like I'm repeating the same thing over and over, and I don't want to burden you guys with my crap, but thank you for your kind words.

11 | Left by Tara | Jan. 22, 2012 at 11:47am

Tara, I know how you feel right now. I know what it's like to be sick of fighting, and to feel like hope is just not there for you. We're not asking you to feel like there's hope; we just want you to BELIEVE it. I know often FEELING it is impossible. But just keep telling yourself that hope is there for you. On the outside where you feel all alone, hope is there for you.

Please don't ever think you're a burden. You're not burdening anyone here, and your feelings are NOT "crap". You matter, and you're worth taking time to listen to. Please, I want you to know that. We care about you here, and we're always ready to listen to you. But even more than that, remember Jesus is always listening to you. Even when you don't know it, or feel it, he's forever right with you. He really, really wants to listen to you, and help you. Cry out to him, Tara. He hears you. He wants to heal you, and give you hope.

12 | Left by Elianna | Jan. 22, 2012 at 2:06pm

Tara, Listen to Elianna. She knows what she is talking about! It's too easy to believe that you are a burden and it leads to thoughts that you don't matter, but that is THE BIGGEST LIE! We were never meant to go through life alone. We're here to listen, to encourage, to reach out to those who are hurting because truth be told many of us who post have really been through this stuff. We can't always trust our feelings because they change quickly. Sometimes it takes believing in what we can't see or fully understand. God is there in the midst of your hurt whether you can see Him or not. Like Elianna said, He hears you, He loves YOU, He will never let you down.

13 | Left by Emily | Jan. 22, 2012 at 3:53pm

How can I believe it if it I don't feel it? I've tried so hard, poured my heart out, and there's nothing. I see the light that TWLOHA brings to so many people, how many people are involved in this movement, and I feel like I can't really be a part of it because I can't subscribe to the hope that everyone has here. I just can't. I've been let down too many times. I've given up and I've been given up on.

14 | Left by Tara | Jan. 22, 2012 at 4:33pm

Tara, you can believe that there is hope because it IS REAL. There is hope for every single person because God loves us all, no matter what we have been through. We live in a broken world with broken people. You aren't alone. Everyone has been let down or given up at some point. When you see the number of people involved in the TWLOHA movement, let it remind you that there is hope for those who feel hopeless. I know it's hard when you have been hurt, but please keep talking. Keep telling us how you feel. Keep fighting because your life is too precious to give up so easily.

15 | Left by Emily | Jan. 22, 2012 at 5:44pm

I just feel like no one truly cares...even I don't care anymore. I've pushed everyone away with this terrible disease. I don't know how to survive this anymore...It's ruined everything.

16 | Left by Tara | Jan. 22, 2012 at 6:33pm

People do care...I care. As long as you're breathing, it's not too late to ask for help.

17 | Left by Emily | Jan. 22, 2012 at 6:42pm

Beauty can rise from the ashes.

18 | Left by Emily | Jan. 22, 2012 at 6:43pm

I just wanted to chime in again and say a couple of thoughts to you Tara -- and to everyone else sharing encouragement. Tara, you are beautiful, because you are you. No matter what disease, illness or what events in your life bring you to today, there IS hope for tomorrow, and the day after that, and for the future. As it has been mentioned, hope IS real.

Believe me, you are not alone in wondering sometimes if you matter, if your life really has meaning. What is beautiful is that there ARE people who care about you, right here on this page. We do not need to meet you or know you in real life to care about you, and to believe in you. Not knowing how to survive this is a common statement. I've heard and said it many times before. You just do it by taking things slowly, baby steps even. Grasp onto hope one minute, hour, day at a time.

And, I agree with what Emily said, it is not EVER too late to ask for help. Help is available. Hope is real.

19 | Left by Laura | Jan. 22, 2012 at 8:26pm

I appreciate everyone's kind words. I'm sorry I'm so stubborn. This pain is unbearable. The awful thing about depression is that it tries to hide those things like hope and love from you. It trips you and beats you and laughs in your face. I'm getting help; it's just not working. Each day ahead seems like a chore, another day of sickness and unhappiness. I'm putting one foot in front of the other...I just need a break...I'm so broken.

20 | Left by Tara | Jan. 22, 2012 at 9:24pm

Listen to Beautiful History by Plumb. The days ahead may seem unbearable. Just start by living one moment at a time. Don't worry about tomorrow or even a few hours from now. In this moment, you are loved. Don't doubt that truth.

21 | Left by Emily | Jan. 23, 2012 at 10:25am

I'm just not sure I can do it.

22 | Left by Tara | Jan. 23, 2012 at 8:52pm