Carrie’s Story

My bio is made up of chapters that almost didn't happen.

At the time, the pain was unreal. I was certain no one could understand what I was living. I woke up in a mini emergency room set up in my parents' living room, and soon after, my mom stepped up where I couldn't, and I was admitted to the hospital, where I then found myself being evaluated by the crisis team, then wheeled out in a wheelchair, handcuffed, both hands and feet, to a ward to receive mental health care. As we pulled away from the hospital, I looked out the window and saw my dad, who doesn't cry easily, completely broken, standing next to one of my friends who happened to be at the hospital at the same time. The next 72 hours changed my life forever.

Here is what I carried out of those hours after receiving the help: connection was everywhere. My parents. My family and friends. The crew who arrived at the house, who were my firefighter and EMS family, part of the career choice I was in at the time. The sheriff who drove me over an hour to the ward, who had been my teacher growing up. Even the strangers I met in the mental health ward, who were struggling with hardships in their chapter of life right alongside me. Every single person God placed on that path was a thread pulling me into restoration through connection, where I would soon realize purpose in life.

I stand where I stand today as living proof that restoration is real. Even when life shatters us, God can rebuild what was broken and reveal purpose through every struggle. But it takes all of us to speak up, to show up, to be there for one another. Every one of us will hit hardship in this life. None of us are meant to walk through it alone.

Another reminder I've found through these chapters of life is that healing is not a finish line. Healing and restoration is something we live every single day, one choice, one conversation, one reached out hand at a time, and strength is not silence. Strength is connection. It's the friend who calls. The stranger who listens. The faith that holds us when we can't hold ourselves.

If you take one thing from my story, let it be this: You are seen. You are valued. You are worth fighting for.

Consider this your reminder to check in on someone, and on yourself. If you or someone you love is struggling, please reach out. Hope, help, and healing are within reach.

God bless and with love, Carrie Bollock

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