Teens 101

You can become addicted to just about anything. It becomes a serious problem when it takes you away from the things you normally do. Some people have a predisposition to addiction and Will story shows that anyone can fall dangerously into addiction. It started with video games addiction which was the beginning of the slippery slope that almost cost him his life. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball play. He could never imagine that at the age of 17 he would be living on the streets addicted to Crack Cocaine and near death. His remarkable story now brings so much hope to those that struggle with addiction and he now dedicates his life to helping youth.

As a child and teenager, Michelle endured a series of events that was nothing short of soul crushing. She faced sexual abuse as a child and kept it a secret over the years. At the age of sixteen she acquired a brain disease that rendered her blind. Her so-called friends bullied her at school. She fell into a deep depression and turned to drugs, alcohol and self-harm to numb her pain but nothing seemed to help. She felt her only option was suicide. Thankfully a miraculous turn of events saved her life and now this remarkable young woman faces all her adversity with such positive energy that it's become infectious and humbling to all that know and love her.

Lydia's life as a child was filled with family dysfunction, drugs, abuse and the death of her mother. She ended up in the foster care system before the age of 10 and would endure moving between 36 different foster homes. Lydia was left with a lack of identity, belonging, and self-worth. The longing of her family and her loneliness created a cycle of destruction or acting out. Nothing or no one could fill the void she felt. Somehow, she found an incredible strength to turn her life around. Living out of a car, she put herself through school and became determined to have her own family, providing a loving home for her two children, something she never had.

When reaching puberty at the age of 12, Joey was coming to the realization that that he was gay. Within his school and community, Joey felt that he was the on gay teenager. This terrified him. He confided in a friend who soon spread the word around school. Joey became the target of bullying and ridicule. Then it happened at home. His father could not accept that his son was gay and abandoned the family. Soon after, his mother abandoned him as well leaving him to live with his unaccepting grandparents. He was alone in the world. The only way out, so he thought, was to take his own life. This is Joey's heartbreaking story.

Eileen's family emigrated from China to North America to create a new life for their children. The Chinese family culture and dynamics were important in the household. Eileen found it difficult to fit in with her peers and she was heavily relied upon at home for chores. She was also pushed hard to excel at school and placed in a school for advanced education. Unfortunately at a young age, she was sexually molested and kept it a deep dark secret. Her self-identity would develop into a critical low level of self-esteem and alienation from any social life. High school was a nightmare. She found a message of hope from an unusual source and decided that prior to entering University she'd transform her life with an ultimate spiritual and physical makeover.

Eleanor had a hard time fitting in. She was severely bullied through elementary school. High school wasn't any different but this time it got a lot worse as she became very depressed and developed paralyzing anxiety to the point where she couldn't breathe. It was physical pain for her. She wouldn't be able to enter a room full of people nor could she be touched. Life was unbearable. It took time, support and focus but with therapy and medication, Eleanor blossomed into a happy young woman that now study's psychology in University and works in an institution assisting troubled youth.

Lindsay (Eekwol) grew up in the First Nations community. She experienced an unforgiving world of drugs, alcohol and violence, within her family. As a child, she lived in fear while her parents and their friends had endless parties that often broke out in fights. As she grew up in this environment, she soon developed into an abuser of drugs and alcohol herself. Falling victim to blackouts and on one occasion she almost died one night lying unconscious on the highway. This seminal moment caused her devoted sister to give up on her - unless she changed her ways. For the first time in her life, she listened, and the path of being clean and sober led to becoming a successful solo female aboriginal hip hop artist.

At the age of 13, Lindsay's was a cheerleader and cross country runner. One day her uncle commented that she was getting roll around her belly. Lindsay became obsessed about her weight. She stopped eating and when she did, purging was the option. She was losing weight beyond what was normal while still competing and running until the point where she mutilated herself and ending up in an institution. Her body started to shut down. She stopped menstruating and the doctors warned her that she may never be able to have children. Her miraculous recovery is truly an inspiring story to all youth. The moral of this story? - One small unkind word can have devastating effects on another person's life.

At the age 14, following a quarrel with a friend of hers from school, Brittany turned to her mother for comfort. Instead, her mother lashed at her calling her selfish. From that day on, Brittany began to internalize her feelings. Her insecurities grew she turned to drugs and alcohol. At a party with friends from school, her excessive drinking led to sexual abuse. This made things worse. She began to engage in self-harm practice, cutting her arms regularly. The more depressed she got, the worse the self-inflicted harm became until she was hospitalized for it.

As far back as David could remember, he did not identify with being a little girl. He wished he were a boy. Depression and anxiety set in and it just got worse until puberty hit and he could no longer deal with it. He told his parents that he identifies with being a boy and he couldn't go on any longer. The moment he changed his name to David and decided that he is male, life started making sense. Happiness set in like he had never experienced and with his parents and sisters support, David has finally found comfort in his life choice as transgender.

At the age of 13, a boy approached Cristina asking her to be his girlfriend. She declined the boy's offer and he became angry, threatening that she would regret it. One day Cristina came to school and everyone eyed her every move. Whispers in ears and people laughing at her, she felt something was terribly wrong. A friend finally told her this boy had circulated a nude photo on line saying that it was Cristina although the person's face was not seen. She was mortified and ran home. She thought that her parents, the school and even the authorities would be able to put a quick stop to it, but she was wrong because online bullying sometimes makes things go on longer. This devastation turned her into a tormented young woman who could not escape the rumours for 7 years. It destroyed her life as a teenager and broke her spirit and ultimately, she did not want to live life anymore.

From as early as he can remember, Sean had lived with extreme anxiety. As the years went by, he couldn't connect with other students. He was bullied and could never understand why. A darkness of alienation grew within him and his parents sought help. After years of searching, finally a doctor pinpointed Sean's mental health issues. He had Asperger's. Armed with this knowledge and treatment, Sean found his way back in the world and learned how to control his disorder. He now helps younger kids who struggle with this mental health disorder.