My name is Dani and I grew up in Stowmarket in the UK. I went to Stowupland High School. Life was going well until I became withdrawn at school and got into lots of trouble. I was 15 when things went downhill when I started to feel depressed and started self-harming. It continued over a number of years and I was put on antidepressants at age 16 and in a mental hospital at 17, where I spent a number of weeks under section in and out of there until I was 19.

Then I fell pregnant with my son. Things were going fine but after I had my baby, I developed severe postnatal depression and started hearing voices.  I was sectioned for a month then, came home for only two weeks then sectioned for a year in 2010 on a section 3 this time. I got sent from Lpswich Hospital to Bradford, where I collected my gold duke of Edinburgh award and was taken to James Palace when I was still sectioned. However, I became more unwell and moved to the intensive care ward at the mental hospital before being moved to Norwich Hellesdon Intensive Care Unit.  I was then moved back to Lpswich Hospital for two weeks where I was released in May.

In 2013, I entered the home of Mercy Ministries and found God to help with my healing and I graduated in 2014. I then spent years in and out Lpswich Hospital after many overdoses trying to kill myself with some very near death experiences. My parents were asked to come to the hospital cause they didn’t know if I would recover.

In, August 2015, I became very ill physically with pancreatitis due to gall stones and had to have emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder. I came back fighting until, March 2016, and I nearly died from a burst appendix, when I had to have emergency surgery and stayed in hospital a week. All through this time I’ve been under community services living with borderline personality disorder.  I hear angry voices, have anxiety and major depressive disorder.

In May 2016, I had a hospital admission sectioned after losing my Nan who was a mum to me. I then lost my best friend and auntie and was struggling badly but remained in community for a while only to end up in Accident and Emergency a lot with overdoses and self-harm having to have operations.

I had support from Suffolk Mind through this time where I really benefited from this year course and met some amazing people. In 2019, I got put under Astra, my care company, and worked with my therapist Stephanie and Dr. Asare who listened to me and got on top of my medication. Since then, my overdoses and self-harm became a few times a month instead of weekly. I couldn’t have done this without my best friend’s support. Then in 2020, I saw things differently, my meds changed and finally I’m stable. I attend Green Light Trust Church and enjoy life to the max and being a mum to my child. It’s been a rough 17 years but I made it. Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me over the years. I now help others running support group on Facebook Hearing Voices Support Group and help others struggling with their voices.