Kimberley Michelle Beatty. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
A young Prince Albert woman, who has battled her own demons of self-harm, depression and suicidal thoughts, wants to let others know there is hope.
Kimberley Michelle Beatty is raising awareness by walking from Prince Albert to La Ronge, beginning at noon on Friday. She figures it will take four days to make the trip, and she is hoping others will join her. The journey is symbolic of the journey of depression she has suffered and the pain she has endured after losing loved ones, including her stepfather to suicide.
She says as a child, she would harm herself. Later as a teen, she suffered severe depression, especially after her stepfather took his own life a couple of years ago. She says she had no coping skills then, but has since learned a lot. Beatty says it took her a long time to learn that it was OK to ask for help.
“In today’s society, everyone is so hard,” she said. “Like they want to have a hard exterior, where nothing bothers them, but it’s OK to have feelings. It’s OK to cry, it’s OK to express your anger, but in a healthy manner.”
Beatty is studying to be a social worker. One of the first things she wants to do is develop workshops to teach teens coping skills.