To Write Love on Her Arms
A Love Movement to Help Those Battling Depression and Addiction
To Write Love on Her Arms started as a simple effort to help a friend through a tough time, but grew into something a lot bigger.
The Story Behind To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA)
TWLOHA originally started as a story by Jamie Tworkowski about 19-year-old Renee Yohe, who was struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm, and attempted suicide.
Tworkowski’s story chronicled five days of Yohe’s life before she entered treatment. Before they were able to get her to check into treatment, Yohe’s friends acted as her hospital, caring and praying for her in her time of need.
When Yohe finally entered treatment, her friends began selling t-shirts in order to pay for it. They started a MySpace page “to give the whole thing a home,” and members of the bands Anberlin and Switchfoot became the first to wear the shirts.
As more of the shirts begin to sell, and more people began leaving comments and sending e-mails telling their story, a movement began to take place.
The members of TWLOHA believe that “you (or we) were created to love and be loved.” And it is because of this belief that they continue their love movement – to ensure that anyone who has ever felt depressed, unloved, or uncared knows that someone out there, even if it is a complete stranger, does love and does care for them.
Now going on its third year, TWLOHA has not only sold hundreds of thousands of shirts, but they have saved countless lives, provided hope to those who thought they had nothing left to live for, and begun a conversation on a topic that affects 19 million people in the United States alone.
The Impact of To Write Love on Her Arms
The noble effort of trying to help a friend in need has affected people battling depression and addiction in over 40 countries. TWLOHA t-shirts are worn in high school settings and college campuses across the United States. Bands wear them in concert to promote the movement.
The organization's Facebook page now has almost 150,000 fans, and its group has more than 57,000 members. The MySpace page where it all started has almost 39,000 comments from its inception to now.
The Future of To Write Love on Her Arms
While depression and addiction are a long way from being eradicated, as long as there is a single lost soul in need of guidance, TWLOHA will be there. Depression is treatable, but impossible to deal with alone. TWLOHA is there to listen, to give hope, to help start the healing process.
The word movement is not used loosely in the context of TWLOHA’s vision. A movement is defined as a progressive development of ideas toward a particular conclusion or a series of actions or activities intended toward a particular end, and as long as depression and addiction still exist, TWLOHA’s Love Movement will continue to exist as well.
More information about students and depression can be found in the article College Students and Depression.
Sources:
- To Write Love on Her Arms - Twolha.com
- To Write Love on Her Arms, MySpace.com
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