Bekah Miles, a 20-year-old student at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, has made a big splash by helping to bring attention to a pressing mental health issue.
Miles was diagnosed with depression last year, and she told BuzzFeed that she sought help after hearing her college professor's story of dealing with depression.
In a class I had with her, she opened up about her own struggles that she has faced with her own mental illness.
Hearing her words made me realize that even though it can seem like you are the happiest, most intelligent, or down-to-earth human being, everyone has struggles.
I sought her out not long after. She helped me find the right help that I needed.
After getting help herself, Miles decided she wanted to do something to get a conversation started about the disorder.
Last week, she got a tattoo that at first appears to read "I'm fine." But when you look at it from her perspective from above, it reads "Save me." The picture was accompanied by some of her thoughts on depression.
The post reads in part:
Last year, I was diagnosed with depression. And in all honesty, I believe it was a problem for quite a while before that, but I think it just got worse to the point of hardly functioning.
So today, I got this tattoo. I feel that my leg was the best place for the meaning behind it. When everyone else sees it, they see "I'm fine," but from my viewpoint, it reads "save me." To me, it means that others see this person that seems okay, but, in reality, is not okay at all. It reminds me that people who may appear happy, may be at battle with themselves.