Suicide saved my life’: Eskasoni teen – Cape Breton Post

18-year-old Cape Breton woman helping those with mental health issues

ESKASONI — “Suicide saved my life.”
It may sound ironic but for 18-year-old Hannah Battiste, coming close to death led to the realization that she needed to heal and be strong so she could help others in her community.

Battiste is in the process of writing a story, titled Suicide Saved My Life, which follows her journey from a suicide attempt in November of last year until the moment she faced an audience of 700 at a conference in Ottawa earlier this year. Writing is nothing new for the talented teen; her poetry has been published and she’s done a number of appearances where she has performed her poetry onstage.

“I had to turn my life around because I’m needed here. Times get tough but we have to fight. Fighting is hard because we’re already weak from mental illnesses, but we become mental health superheroes. I am the warrior queen. I fight for what I believe in, I fight for others’ happiness other than my own, and I fight for mental health,” is how Battiste in her story describes her determination to heal and to help others.

Read More: http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2016-02-01/article-4422592/Suicide-saved-my-life:-Eskasoni-teen/1