Libby Davis, a young mom in a small town in Texas, died by suicide this past summer. I will never forget her name or her face. I came across her story scrolling through my phone in one of the darkest moments in my life. My husband and I were separated at the time, and I was haunted with the thought of divorce and many other transitions that would possibly take place in my life as a result.
However, during some of those darkest days, Libby Davis’ story reminded me why I had to keep moving forward with life. Libby died after suffering from postpartum depression, a debilitating mental illness that 1 and 7 women experience after childbirth. I, as a black woman, suffered from postpartum depression and anxiety following the birth of my son. When I couldn’t find resources in my community, I decided to do something about it.
I created 2BNurtured to raise awareness about maternal mental health in women of color. I wanted to make sure no other mom went through what I did, alone. My work began in April 2016, and I had made much progress in the development of it. I knew I cared about the work, but it was Libby Davis who revealed to me that it was my calling…my passion.
I knew this because when I was facing the darkest time in my own life, I still had the drive and determination to follow through on what I had started. I saw Libby’s picture, her holding her beautiful baby girl, and I never let the momentum die when my personal life was in shambles. I never thought about giving up because it meant too much. It meant too much to Libby’s now motherless child, my own son, and other moms like me who would someday have children.
This is why—whether you want kids, have kids, don’t want them or don’t know yet—passion is so important. It means you will wake up every day, no matter what, and allow nothing to stop you from following through on what you started. You eventually see “your moment” within yourself.
We can be good at a lot of things, but what you’re passionate about sings a different tune. You have a moment where you realize, “this is what I am sure of” concerning your purpose in life. Libby Davis was my moment. I was so used to giving up when things got hard, but my determination to make sure what happened to her happened to no one else, was bigger than what was “hard” in my life.
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