Everyone has dark moments and days when the world overwhelms, and the light is hidden by some masking cloud.  For those who have felt the debilitation of this darkness, To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) can illuminate the way out.

TWLOHA is a non-profit organization that reaches out to all youths who suffer from depression, substance addiction, and thoughts of suicide or self-injury. The message is simple but profoundly significant: “The vision is hope, and hope is real. You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.”

In 2006, Jamie Tworkowski wrote a beautiful story that relived the revealing five days of home rehab spent with a friend who was turned away from a treatment center. After cutting the words “Fucked Up” into her forearms with a razorblade, Renee was taken to the hospital. They stopped the bleeding but deemed her too large a risk and sent her away.

From there, Jamie and her numerous friends took her in until they could get her the help she needed. They started selling printed t-shirts with the slogan “To Write Love on Her Arms,” to help fund a proper rehab for their friend, and the response they received was astounding.

What started as something between a group of close friends quickly evolved into something bigger than any of us. The MySpace page they created was flooded by people sharing their personal experiences, mourning for lost loved ones, and asking questions. The group realized that the silence of these realities had to end and they were going to help spread the word, the hope, the love.

Musicians were of the first to show intense backing for the movement, and they continue to play a large role in its continued success. Switchfoot and Anberlin top what has become a long list of supporting artists like Plain White Tee’s, The Rocket Summer, and Hawthorne Heights. Not only do these bands sport TWLOHA gear, some even participate in the organizations events like Stop the Bleeding: an attempt to bring music, art, and open conversation into one local setting.

Along with Stop the Bleeding, TWLOHA has also visited countless colleges, concerts, churches and communities to share their message of hope and possibility. A large portion of the money they raise is directly received by treatment and prevention programs including The National Hopeline Network, Teen Challenge, S.A.F.E. (self abuse finally ends) and Kids Help Line.

Renee is the female behind that life changing story, and she has remained sober and healthy to this day. She wrote an incredible book entitled Purpose for the Pain and is living proof that humanity has the power to heal. It is a collection of the personal journal entries she kept before and through her treatment. It isn’t sugar coated, it is raw and unguarded, it’s real life; it’s her story.

One hundred and twenty-one million people across the world suffer from depression, and TWLOHA seeks to unite them with faith and love. Two out of three of them will never seek treatment, but TWLOHA wants to give them a voice and a chance.

Untreated depression is the primary cause of suicide, and suicide is the number one cause of teenage death, but TWLOHA is speaking out. TWLOHA knows that these numbers aren’t just statistics they are one hundred and twenty-one million brothers, friends, sisters, dancers, musicians, writers, athletes, PEOPLE who need love, support, and a hand.

Renee told Jamie on that fifth day, “The stars are always there but we miss them in the dirt and clouds. We miss them in the storms. Tell them to remember hope. We have hope.”