CHAPTER :
How Supernatural Has Changed My Life
With entries from:
Marilyn Case   —   8 years ago

This might take a while, so sit back and grab a cup of coffee, if that's your poison.
I have suffered from depression since I was a child. As I am now 61, that's a long time. Depression in children wasn't really recognized when I was a child. My father used to just say there was something wrong with me. My mother, much later in life, told me that she knew something was wrong but there just wasn't such a thing as child psychologists then.
Anyway, I learned to cope, as most do, and made it through high school and into college. After some disastrous relationships and a suicide attempt or two, I finally graduated and left home to be with a boyfriend. When THAT relationship didn't work out, I ended up with the man who is now my husband. We have two grown children whom I love and adore.
But my depression reached a breaking point when I became pregnant for a third time while my husband was unemployed and he decided that we could not afford a third child. I had an abortion, but it was not my choice. Our marriage was nearly destroyed, and, in fact, we did split up for a year some years later. I ended up in therapy and, after several failed attempts, found a medication that worked. My life improved drastically.
Fast forward several years and I'm struggling again. My husband and I have split up and are in marriage therapy. I am still having a hard time accepting the decision that I made all those years ago. I have gained 100 pounds over the years and am still stressed and fraught with the perils of my depression. Then along comes a little show called Supernatural.
I begin watching casually in 2005 - I did not become obsessed right away. But as time wore on, I become more an more enamored of the show and its theme of family. When I began to attend conventions and meet like-minded fans, something in me changed. When Jared started his Always Keep Fighting campaign, that's when things really changed for me. I started on a diet and exercise regimen and to date have lost 65 pounds, and am still going strong.
I have hit some rough times lately with some job issues, but I keep hearing Jared's voice in my head telling me to keep fighting and that keeps me going. I sincerely believe that Supernatural and Jared in particular have helped me through the last few rough years and I wouldn't be where I am today without him.

  • - just now