Resident News Network

Charleston Hosts Booneville in Conference Showdown for Conference Lead

Sports

-

4:39 pm

Charleston Hosts Booneville in Conference Showdown for Conference Lead

What a difference a week can make. A week ago today, we were talking about Charleston coming off an emotional loss and having to regroup mentally. A week later, all is good with the world again, and the Tigers find themselves looking at a game this Friday that can not only put them in a tie for first place, but would give them a tie breaker advantage over Booneville for a top seed in the state playoffs.

The Tigers showed what they are made of last week when they traveled to Paris and defeated an up and coming, talented, Paris football team. Charleston had over 400 yards of total offense in the game and gave up less than 150 yards on defense. In the end, the Tigers won going away with a strong running game and ball control offense. When the Tigers got on the bus to return home, they only had one player who sustained a minor injury, but not enough to be overly concerned. He should be ready to play on Friday. In fact, the Tigers hope to get yet another player back for the Booneville game, as well.

Last week at Paris, the Tigers completed 18 of 25 attempts passing for 153 yards. Quarterback Brayden Ross averaged 8.5 yards per completion for a passing completion percentage of 72%. Charleston ran for 265 yards on 47 carries. They averaged 5.6 yards per carry, and had a longest run of 19 yards. The Tigers rushed for four touchdowns.

On defense, the Tigers sacked Paris five times for a total loss of 39 yards. They pressured the Eagles quarterback for four hurries throughout the game. The pressure created three interceptions that were key to the Tigers victory. In addition to the three interceptions, Charleston capitalized on three fumble recoveries, two of which were forced by the defense. The Tigers gained 35 yards on the fumble recoveries.

Charleston will need to be as effective on offense and defense against the defending Class 3A Booneville Bearcats. The Bearcats are coming off a big road victory over Mansfield in which its running game dominated Mansfield, and Booneville passed the football just one time.

Coach Ricky May commented on his team’s performance against Paris. “We gave up 29 yards rushing, and we gave up around 147 total yards. So that was good. Offensively, we played well. I think we had over 400 yards of offense, Breckon Ketter rushed well, and we had several other guys that had significant carries. So we felt good about that part of it coming out of the game. It was kind of an emphasis last spring to be able to run the ball.”

On the importance of this game to the playoff picture, Coach May said, “Definitely the winner of this one will be in the driver’s seat. But Booneville still has to play Lamar, and we still have to play Lamar. So, it would definitely put the winner in the driver’s seat.”

Booneville is the defending state champions and returns a team that lost some key players to graduation. Graduation has affected the Bearcats depth this year, but nevertheless, Booneville is a very good team who will be a tough out in the state playoffs.

When asked about his team’s mental state following the road win at Paris, May responded, “It’s really good. We struggled in the first half a little bit, and there again, we didn’t start real fast, we’ve got to start this one a little faster, and get after it. I think as far as their mental state though, these kids don’t change much. They don’t get up or down as much, they’re just pretty steady.”

Coach May talked about several Booneville players that stand out to him as the Tigers prepare for the Bearcats. “Andrew Robertson, their senior running back, he’s rushed for around 500 yards, and he’s just a lightning bolt. He plays hard. And then their fullback (Cam Brasher) is a senior, and he is the bull of the ring, plays hard, plays a good linebacker position too. He’s a good one. Then they have a little sophomore, Randon Ray, he’s almost a carbon copy of Andrew (Robertson). They’re both smaller kids but man they play like they’re 180 (lbs.) I think he has over 500 or 600 yards rushing. So, it’s one of things of who do you try to stop. They’re balanced, their quarterback, Schlinker (Evan Schlinker), he’s rushed for over 300 yards. So, it’s a four-headed monster.”

Through seven games, the Booneville offense has attempted 32 passes and have completed 17 for a total of 267 yards. The Bearcats average 15.7 yards per completion. They have passed for 3 touchdowns and have thrown 2 interceptions. Rushing, Booneville has rushed for 2,208 yards on 333 carries. They average 6.6 yards per rush. Per game, the Bearcats average 315.4 yards. They have rushed for 32 touchdowns.

Defensively, Booneville has 171 solo tackles, 226 assists, and average 56.7 tackles per game. They have 40 tackles on the season for negative yards. The Bearcats have sacked opposing quarterbacks 20 times for a total loss of 145 yards. The Booneville defense averages 2.9 sacks per game.

Booneville’s defense has 4 interceptions for the year. They have 11 fumble recoveries and have forced six. They have one blocked punt on the year.

Similar to the Tigers game against Cedarville, this will be an old-fashioned, hard hitting game in which both teams will try to impose their will to run the football on each other. Both teams play a physical brand of football.

Friday night’s game at Alumi Stadium could be a classic. Both the Charleston and Booneville football programs have a tradition of championship excellence, and both know how to win. Both are coached by great head coaches and will have their teams prepared to play. With three weeks to go in the season, the implications of this game on the standings could not be higher.

Booneville 4-0

Charleston 3-1

Cedarville 3-1

Lamar 3-1

Mansfield 2-2

A Charleston victory combined with a Mansfield win over Lamar will put Charleston in first place and Booneville and Cedarville in a tie for second place. Charleston would have the tie breaker over both teams.

It is a testament to this team that through all the injuries and adversity that they have faced, they enter week eight with an opportunity to be in first place in the conference. Charleston has been pointing toward the playoffs since that horrible month in September when it fought it’s way through a murderous non-conference road schedule playing short-handed from a multitude of injuries. As Coach May said, this team doesn’t change much mentally, and that has paid off for the Tigers.

A famous coach once said, “nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems.” That has rang true for the Tigers all season. As bad as September was for Charleston, it was not that bad. And now, the Tigers may be playing for a chance to win a conference championship on Friday.

It is time for Tiger fans to fill Alumni Stadium on Friday. The Bearcats are coming to town!

Hartford Residents Look to Bring Back Pride

News

Tammy Teague

-

3:38 pm

0

Hartford Residents Look to Bring Back Pride

A group of residents in the Hartford community have been working hard to improve their city, making it a great place to live. One of those residents, city employee Rich Galyen, has a great vision for the future.

Part of that vision has been to beautify the main street. Anyone who drives through town can see that he has worked hard and found success. As he looks to the future he has one goal, to bring Christmas back to Hartford.

“I want to light up the park,” stated Galyen. He cannot do it alone, though. He is looking for anyone willing to donate either their time or materials to install electrical outlets throughout the park. Galyen, who is quite passionate about the project stated, “my late wife, she loved Christmas.”

Members of the Hartford Pride committee will be hosting several other upcoming events, including the first annual chili cookoff, fall festival and horseshoe tournament. All three events will be on November 9, beginning at 10 a.m.

On October 31, the city will host Trick or Trunk. There will be games, food, candy and prizes. This event will be held at Hartford City Hall and will begin at 5 p.m. For more information on any of these events, call 479-806-7204 or Hartford City Hall.

Tigers Shave Time At Van Buren Race

Sports

Tammy Teague

-

3:31 pm

0

Even the winner hurts. The message this week from Mansfield’s cross country coach emphasized that fact.

Paraphrased, his words basically stated the following. If you want your time to decrease, you must be aggressive. Don’t be afraid to attack the first mile. Muscle memory is going kick in a carry you to the finish. Be aggressive in the beginning when you’re fresh. That’s a recipe for shaving race time.

Message received. Plan installed. Results achieved.

“We’ve been leaving too much in the tank,” noted MHS distance coach John Mackey. “Our goal all week was to not be afraid to hurt in the first mile. Be aggressive and get ahead of the clock. Our kids took to the strategy and really performed well today.”

Eleven Tiger athletes toed the line for the start of the Van Buren 5k high school race on Saturday, October 19. All eleven had predetermined goals for the first mile. All eleven exceeded expectations for the first mile.

Ten of the eleven runners set new season bests at the finish line. The one that did not, suffered an ankle sprain during the competition but continued anyway to close within 14 seconds of her season best.

“It was a good day to say the least,” impressed Mackey. “Our players needed to trust were in shape. With the temperature dropping, it’s time to run fast and believe they can hold on. It may hurt, but even the winner hurts. They probably hurt more than anyone. So, it’s time to be aggressive. Conference and state are around the corner.”

McKenzie Griffin may have internalized the word as much as anyone in a Tiger uniform. The sophomore went out fast and kept the throttle down. She smashed her career best by 56 seconds and bettered her state finals time from a year ago by 1:10.

“The last couple of weeks McKenzie has been coming on strong,” stated her coach. “Her workouts have been going good and her confidence is growing.”

Griffin medal in ninth place with a time of 23:28.99. That was among the small school competitors. Her overall mark was the 23rd best among all women runners.

John Branche off the men’s team was another big mover in the personal record department. The tenth grader cut his previous best by 1:10. After crossing the first mile in a smidgin over six minutes, he crossed the carpet in 21:27.13.

Aston Hinkle, a freshman runner who moved to the high school team partway through the season, reduced his 5K catalog by 1:12. His Van Buren mark was 21:39.00.

With Renden Emery posting a 21:50.00 and Ethan Chapman going 19:59.21, all four Tiger men established season lows for the 3.1 mile distance.

Chapman, Mansfield’s most consistent competitor, has ranked the group’s top runner throughout the year. Going against a league full of outstanding runners, the sophomore gained a real confidence boost by breaking the 20 minute barrier.

Faith Rainwater, the Lady Tiger’s top performer for most of the season, was in terrific position through the opening mile. Just beyond that point, the sophomore tweaked an ankle and strained her arch with an awkward gate thereafter. The fallout pulled her back to 12th place among small schools and 39th overall.

The 24:13.73 clocking was still among the top 12 medal winners. However, it was 14 seconds below her target after the promising fast start.

Griffin, Rainwater, Darby Jones, Katlynn Moore, and Lennon Woods comprised the scoring five for the Lady Tigers. Collectively the group finished third in the team standings. Shelby Cole and Holly Owen were the displacers.

The Mansfield junior girls raced to team runner-up status in their division. Trinity Triska took the Tiger reins with an 11:40.45 mark for third place among the class 1A-4A runners.

Triska has medaled in every meet this season except at the ultra-tough Chile Pepper Festival at the University of Arkansas Agricultural Park. At the Van Buren Invitational Saturday, she was only 14 seconds behind the top two finishers from the small school ranks with about 800m to go.

Jadelynn Wood at number 11 and Alyssa James at 15 were the next two medalists for the Lady Tigers. The two freshmen have picked up their training schedules in recent days as a move to the high school squad looms after the conference finals on October 28.

Meghan Emery and Aiden Fildes rounded out the scoring five for the MJH prep team. Addie Bowman and Laney Wood were the team’s displacers. Azlynn Nelson also ran for Mansfield.

Mansfield-XC — Meghan Emery leads a second wave of runners along the Pointer path in the junior girls’ 2-mile race.

Paris Wins 3A West Junior High School District Volleyball Tournament

Sports

Resident News Network

-

2:02 pm

0

Paris Wins 3A West Junior High School District Volleyball Tournament

The junior high school volleyball season came to a close Saturday morning with the Class 3A West volleyball junior district tournament. The tournament was hosted by Paris High School. The Paris junior Lady Eagles volleyball team defended its regular season and district tournament championships with a 2-0 victory over Mansfield. Paris is now the 2019 junior district tournament champions, and Mansfield, who finished runner-up to Paris in the regular season, also finished as district tournament runner-ups.

Mansfield Junior Lady Tigers: 2019 Jr. District Tournament Runner-ups

Both teams powered their ways through the tournament without losing a set going into the championship match. Mansfield was pushed by Charleston in the semi-finals as they defeated Charleston 2-0 in two highly competitive sets.

Paris defeated West Fork, who surprised Booneville in the quarterfinals, by a score of 2-0. The Lady Eagles were never challenged in the tournament until the finals against Mansfield.

On a day that marked the end of the junior high playing careers of ninth grade players, the futures are bright for both Mansfield and Paris. In fact, both schools will likely move up freshmen to their varsity teams in advance of next week’s senior high district tournament in West Fork.

For Mansfield’s senior high team, they have been steadily improving throughout the season. With the addition of talented freshmen from the district runner-up team, Mansfield could become a very tough opponent next week.

Paris has incredible, quality depth on its varsity roster. Any movement of freshmen to the varsity for the district and state playoffs will just make Paris that much more formidable in the post season.

As they say, a picture says a thousand words. So, here are pictures from yesterday’s finals! Congratulations to both Paris and Mansfield!

Sr Bulldogs Lay Siege To Subiaco

Sports

Megan Hecox

-

1:13 pm

0

It might have taken a little longer than expected but through relentless grit and sheer perseverance, the Waldron Sr High Bulldogs pulled in their first win of the season. The Bulldogs marched onto Subiaco’s football field, looked the Trojans square in the eye, and said “Not today!” Well, mission accomplished. Waldron left the Trojans on the battlefield to face desolation while the Bulldogs rode off into the night with a 40-18 victory.

Quarterback, Braden Williams, successfully catapulted a pass to receiver, Caden Fuller for the first touchdown of the night. Jace Black added the two-point conversion and the game was officially underway 8-0 Bulldogs. Isaac Villarreal was on fire with a 70-yard reception from Williams for his first of two Bulldog touchdowns. Williams rushed the conversion and Waldron was again put on the board 16-0.

Halfway through the second quarter, Subiaco joined the game with their first Trojan touchdown. Williams responded with a 30-yard rushing touchdown and the score was brought to 22-6 Bulldogs. With 00:48 seconds left in the first half, Subiaco earned their second TD and the game looked to be preparing to go into halftime. But not so fast! With no time left on the clock, Williams fired a shot at Villarreal for a Bulldog touchdown sending the game into halftime 28-12 Waldron.

The third quarter saw zero action but the Bulldogs would add two more touchdowns to the score before ending the game. Gabino Grano rushed a 14-yard TD upgrading Waldron to 34-12. With minutes left in the game, the Trojans added their final TD of the game bringing their total points to 18. With the battle looking like it was coming to an end, Matthew Tegtmeyer caused a Trojan fumble and then scooped and ran for a 49-yard TD to close the game 40-18 Waldron.

Waldron saw greatness thanks inpart to their skillful and solid defense. The Trojans were kept off of the Bulldogs offense with an ironhand all night. Matthew Tegtmeyer led his team with five solo and five assisted tackles. Bryson Bailey earned five solo tackles, two assists, and one fumble recovery. Fuller also earned five solo tackles and two assists. Bradley Smith made four solo tackles and three assisted. Grano and Williams each obtained three solo tackles and two and five assists respectively. And with one solo tackle apiece was Black, Villarreal, Carson Cain, Garron Deramus, Fernando Uribe, and Rylee Shupert.

The Bulldogs upgraded their conference record to 1-3 and total season play record to 1-6. On October 25, Waldron will compete in the game of the century as they host the 2-2 Mena Bearcats at 7 p.m. The Bearcats are coached by former Mansfield Tigers Head Coach and close friend to Waldrons Head Coach Jonathan Bates, Craig Bentley. You’re not going to want to miss these two powerhouse teams as they come face to face.

Sr Hornets Steal The Wild From The Wildcats

Sports

Megan Hecox

-

10:30 am

0

Sr Hornets Steal The Wild From The Wildcats

With their fifth win of the season stemming from Friday nights 20-17 conquer over the Hector Wildcats, the Hackett Sr High Hornets seem to be holding their own just fine in the 2A-4. Headed by first-year Hackett Coach, Michael Meador, this young team has been molded into everyday warriors. The Hornets sit with a 5-2 overall record and 1-1 in conference play.

Backup Quarterback and safety, sophomore Ethan “Superman” Slavens, has Hackett football running through his blood. Playing since the third grade, Ethan is beyond proud of how far he and his teammates have come. When it came to Fridays game against Hector, there was a different feeling in the air about the Hornets.

The boys have always been a close-knit group. But this time, the comradery and support for each other was overflowing. The Hornets wanted this win. Bad. And during the entirety of the game, no man was left behind. “We earned this win by staying solid and really playing as a team. We always play well together, but on Friday we took it to the next level,” explains Slavens. “We coached each other up, encouraged one another, and at halftime, re-energized each other through some major hyping up so that we could go and get the job done.”

Quarterback, Avery Hester, connected a beautiful 45-yard pass to Wide-Receiver Fischer Shipman along with one interception, 14 carries totaling 89 yards, and three touchdowns. Hester also carried out six solo tackles and one tackle for a loss. Junior Running back, Weston Winters, did major damage on the Wildcats with 31 carries totaling 179 yards.

Hackett was able to keep Hector at bay with some explosive hits and tackles. The pressure the Hornets kept on the Wildcats offense caused Hector to make mistakes. One of those mistakes was throwing the ball in the vicinity of Slavens who snatched a pass for an interception. Another was putting the ball on the ground. When you put the ball on the ground, you can expect Shipman to be there….and like clockwork, he was and gained a fumble recovery. Shipman totaled two turnovers on the night by also getting an interception on Hector. Peyton Hester led the Hornets with nine tackles and two QB sacks. And defenders Avery Hester, Jessie Esparaza, and Mason Oelke showed off their open-field skills by combining for 16 total solo tackles.

The Hornets have three games left in the season. Mountainburg, Lavaca, and JC Westside. Hackett will travel to Mountainburg on October 25 at 7 p.m. and attempt to slay the Dragons in a game that is sure to impress. Slavens adds “The upcoming game against Mountainburg is the one we will really need to buckle down for. They have a clean running game but I know our defense can shut it down. Go Hornets!”

Community Yard Sale Success!

Networks

Resident News Network

-

6:56 pm

0

The people in Lavaca get together twice a year and have a community yard sale. Each spring and fall, the people get that urge to unclutter their homes, garages, and barns. The problem is that everyone goes to other sales and buy treasures from other people. In all actuality, we just swap junk.

Fifteen families said they were going to have sales this past weekend but there were many more that were out, selling prize merchandise on their lawns and flagging us down with brightly colored signs on their street corners. One group put a scarecrow on the corner of El Paso and Main Street, inticing the shoppers with a sign saying, “Free Stuff.” Every trick was used to make us stop and browse. One large sale was sponsored by a local church with items donated by their congregation. The money raised will purchase “Shoe Box Gifts” for overseas missions. Hundreds of dollars were raised for their project!

Out of town shoppers visited local restaurants and spent some of their cash on lunches. One restaurant owner said that they had several new faces in over the two days of the sales.

Get ready for the spring sale! Save that change so you can buy new stuff. And Lavaca, start boxing up those things you don’t need anymore. You know, one man’s junk is another man’s future junk!

Sr Tigers Aren’t Going Down Without A Fight

Sports

Megan Hecox

-

10:51 am

0

Sr Tigers Aren’t Going Down Without A Fight

Pictured is Isaac Cothran

One fact about this football season is that the Mansfield Sr High Tigers have had zero shortage of fierce programs to compete against on their 2019 schedule. One such program is that of the Booneville Bearcats who the Tigers were tasked to host for Friday nights match-up. Although the Tigers ended falling to Booneville 48-27, the night still delivered plenty of excitement and success.

One thing Mansfield should be extremely proud of is that they definitely made the Bearcats nervous and start to doubt the idea that the Tigers were going to be an easy win. In Booneville’s last three conference game victories against Paris, West Fork, and Greenland, their opponents only managed to rack up a combined 18 points between the three of them. So the mere fact that the Tigers slammed 27 points on the Bearcats says a lot about Mansfield.

Captains for Mansfield were Dustin Holland, Dru Buckner, and Noah Crane. The Tigers earned 529 all-purpose yards with 213 of those yards stemming from receptions and 102 yards from rushing. Quarterback Ethan Stovall nailed 15 passes for 213 yards and executed eight rushes for 27 yards and one Tiger touchdown that was earned in the fourth quarter. Layton Howard was uncatchable pulling in a 78-yard kickoff return for a Tiger TD. And the man of the hour was Tyler Holmes with his game starting interception and with a minute left before the half, his two, yes two, Tiger touchdowns. Holmes was perfectly placed each time for Stovall to get the ball to him and the beauty of it all was that the second TD was achieved with one second left on the clock in the second quarter sending the game into halftime with Booneville ontop 28-20.

Another crowd-cheering stand stomping moment for Tiger fans was when in the blink of an eye, Will Meadows forced a Bearcat fumble allowing teammate Bri Sanderson to recover it and hightail it downfield for a 12-yard sprint. Jaicy Griffin set the field ablaze with his 61-yard kickoff return while also kicking three successful PATs and Cameron “Makin’ em Hurt” Macon followed suit with a 75-yard kickoff return. The Tigers defense was steadfast all game trying to keep the Bearcats off of the offenses’ heels leaving no time for the line to rest. Helping to dole out steel blocks, solid tackles, and gutsy sacks were Meadows, Macon, Isaac Cothran, Randy Claude, Jacob Brown, and Zach Lowe.

For now, the door has shut for the Tigers and the Bearcats to face each other again. In the 2020-2022 football season, Booneville along with Paris will be moving up to the 3A-4 division. Mansfield will stay put in their current division but will see the new conference faces of Hackett, Lavaca, and Lincoln. With three games left to play, the Tigers sit in the fifth seed out of eight teams in the 3A-1 conference standings with their 2-2 record. Mansfield is 5-2 in total season play. Up next for the Tigers will be an away game against the 3-1 Lamar Warriors on October 25 at 7 p.m.

Struggling to Stay Alive continued…

Lifestyle

Resident News Network

-

10:28 am

0

Please continue with us on Megan’s journey as she struggles to stay alive. This is part two of a two-part series. In September, Megan opened up her heart on social media about her struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and we asked Megan if she would share with our Resident Press readers how she survived the darkest times of her life.

Story continued:

“I can’t recall exactly how many pills I took, but it was a lot. In that moment right after, I don’t remember calling my mom, but I know I did. I just remember the Holy Spirit stirring me to call my mom, and I know the power of the Holy Spirit helped me to make that call.

To this day, I get sick thinking about having to tell my mom what I did. This is where my memory starts to fade. I remember small pieces of what happened next. I remember my mom coming through the back door of the house and her crying as she saw me. I can recall the small parts of the car ride to the ER, the memories of all the tears that flowed, and my mom praying over me.

“This 19 year old girl was trying her best to appear happy. Truth is, this picture was taken mere months after I tried to take my own life. To outsiders, I was ok. Normal. Happy. Inside, I was screaming. I felt hopeless. This was a broken little girl.”

Once we arrived, they laid me on cold table, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the ICU. I can still hear the sounds of the beeping of the machines and hearing lots of people crying out to God on my behalf. Its as if life was going on without me, and I was watching a movie. It was by the grace of God, the doctors were able to get all the meds out of my system.

The next time I was fully awake, I was being told I would be transported to an inpatient treatment facility. I had to ride in an ambulance because they would not even let my parents drive me. I spent about 5 days in treatment. I was monitored 24 hours a day, and I could only call my parents one time a day. I had therapy twice a day, and I began medicine for further treatment. I was officially diagnosed with situational depression and an anxiety disorder. Leaving treatment, I was filled with a new hope. I had gotten help that was greatly needed.

The last 10 years have been full of growth and learning. I’m learning how to better maintain my anxiety and how to deal with my depression when it comes. I’ve learned and still learning how to fully depend on the Lord for strength to simply get out of bed. Without Jesus, I am not sure I would have made it through the last ten years. God is my hope and my strength. I have become thankful for my story and my struggles, because it has drawn me closer to Christ.

For people with depression and anxiety, there are good days and there are bad days. It’s a constant battle. It doesn’t always end. Each day, I wake up and give my battle to the Lord. It’s ongoing.

Mental health needs to be talked about more within families, at school, and in the church. We all need to take the shame away from mental health struggles. I have especially felt a calling to speak out about my story within the Christian community. With God’s blessings, I have met many people within the body of Christ who have prayed for me and encouraged me. However, I have met a few who have told me to keep my issues to myself and that I must not be a true Christian if I struggle with anxiety. There are many people who walk closely with Christ who struggle with mental health. There has been no talk of it within the church until the last few years when more pastors have begun taking their life. Mental illness is real. Depression is real. Anxiety is real. Real people deal with these issues. Real people who love Christ. As a church and as a society, we need to be more aware and to allow conversations to take place where these Christians battling suicidal thoughts aren’t feeling too ashamed to speak up. We all need hope and Jesus Christ is the ultimate hope.

To those struggling with any form of mental health: You are not alone. You matter. You were made for a purpose. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Seek out the help of a counselor.

To those who know someone who is struggling with mental health issues: listen and know that even if you don’t understand what they are feeling, it’s completely real to them. Do research on what warning signs to look for and pray for them. Go to counseling with them if possible to better understand what they are feeling and experiencing. Also, please understand that mental illness is an illness. You cannot just “get over it”. It can be a lifetime struggle.”

Megan’s struggle and openness of her story amazes me. So many times, we, as a society, want to put on a “face” to our peers that everything is ok. Then, when we get home and alone, we are faced with our darkest fears, our struggles, and depression. In these darkest times, the enemy comes in to attack and play mind games. It’s in these moments, we must seek out help. Don’t try to face it alone. Don’t try to cover it up. Someone can help you. Someone can love you. Someone can be there for you. The bible says, “Is anyone crying for help? God is listening.” (Psalms 34:17 MSG Bible) God loves you just where you are at. No matter what you are going through, God still loves you. You don’t have to come to God perfect, because it’s through Christ, we are made perfect. So, if you are struggling, I encourage you to seek out help today. Don’t go another day through the motions. Don’t go another day through life with no happiness. Don’t go another through life without laughter. Don’t go another day through life feeling lost and hopeless. Reach out for help. Today could be your life changing day. Today could be the first day of the rest of your life filled with happiness.

If you are someone you know is contemplating suicide, you can call The National Suicide Hotline 24 hours a day:

1-800-273-8255

Megan is now blessed with a beautiful life with her husband, Chans, and their beautiful daughter, Olivia. She is a teens Sunday School teacher where she has been able to share her experience with other teens to help them as some of them have battled with depression and anxiety. God has done some amazing things in Megan’s life! To God be the GLORY!

Struggling To Stay Alive…

Lifestyle

Resident News Network

-

9:12 am

0

Part 1 of a two-part series…

A dear friend of ours opened up on social media about her struggles through out the years with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide in September during Suicide Awareness Month. After reading her post that gripped my heart and many other readers, I asked her if she would be willing to share her story with our readers at Resident Press. She has graciously opened up her heart to take us through some moments in her life that were part of the most difficult times of her life. This is Part 1 of a two-part series of her life through the eyes of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

“My very first memory of my anxiety and my depression was around age four. I had to go to a new daycare for a week, and I can vividly remember the fear I felt. In my four-year-old mind, I was not safe. Everyday that week, I got physically sick. At the time, I know my parents thought, “Oh she just doesn’t want to go to school.” Normal kid stuff. Looking back, I know the feelings that I were feeling were anxiety & depression.

As I got older, my depression and anxiety steadily got worse. I would go months with no episodes, but I remember I would have bouts of feeling completely alone, feeling worthless and like I was not enough. I would withdraw from family and friends.

During those days, I saw no hope. While it seemed my struggle with depression came and went, my battle with anxiety was an every second of everyday battle. If my mom was late home from work, I had thought of ten different scenarios of what may be happening to her. I would rarely spend the night at a friend’s house. I feared being in a situation I could not control. The thought of not being the perfect basketball player led to getting sick so often my doctor told me to quit playing.

Depression and anxiety were not terms that I knew growing up. No one in my family really did. It was uncharted territory. I honestly felt that what I was feeling was normal and that it would pass. Everyone’s thoughts were that I was a normal emotional teenager, and it would go away. Then came the thoughts of, ‘If I’m truly a Christian, I shouldn’t feel this way. I should be happy. And if I’m not happy, what’s wrong with me?’

Things became really difficult the fall and spring after I graduated high school. Life was changing, and I was terrified. I made a lot of bad choices. I started experiencing panic attacks. Panic attacks can be different for each individual person, and for me, I had difficulty breathing, would begin shaking, loose feeling in my hands and feet, and sometimes even loose feeling in my facial muscles. The first panic attack landed me in the ER thinking I was having a stroke. Then as time passed, I was having full blown panic attacks every few weeks. People normally only have a few in their lifetime. After the panic attacks started, I really started to fall into a depression that lasted longer than normal.

I’m normally a pretty happy person. However, during those few months, I was a completely different person. I started skipping classes. I wasn’t eating. I dropped about 30 pounds in a few months. I would sleep from 9PM until noon the next day, wake up, and then go back to sleep a few hours later. For me, sleeping meant things didn’t hurt so bad. I would have small fits of rage where I would just cry and want to hit anything I could find. During these few months, the thoughts of suicide really started to come up.

One afternoon in April 2009, I tried to take my own life by overdose. It was a sunny day. I was in my kitchen. My mom was at work, and my dad was out of town. I was all alone. I cannot put into words the feeling I felt at that moment. I felt completely alone. I was not myself. I truly believed in that moment that everyone would be better off without me. So, I took as many of my anxiety pills as I could…”

To be continued…

R

RESIDENT NEWS NETWORK