Ekō Magazine Article
Article by Alexandra Sebire
It’s strange getting used to the labels that society defines you by. I’ve gone from being ‘student’ and ‘writer’ to: ‘student, ‘scriptwirter’, ‘entrepreneur’, ‘acivist’ and ‘project manager/founder’. It’s a lot of labels for a twenty-year-old girl to hold in her hands, and that’s without all of the more personal ones. But wow am I proud of that twenty-year-old girl.
And how did I get here? How did I get these labels? How did I find hope having lost it? I think it all has something to do with feeling I had nothing left to lose, taking a series of calculated risks, believing in my abilities and wanting to change things. Oh and also realising that I could do whatever I put my mind to.
Of course, nothing’s really as clear cut as: I fancied setting up a global project, so I just did it and am raising awreness of humanitiarian issues, combatting stigmas, taboos an prejudices, mamking international collaborations and telling oridnary people’s stories. Nothing is that simple. It’s true, but like every story we tell, or every picture we post; there’s a deeper story underneath.
I’ve been battling ivisible illnesses since I was 15. After a good two years of blood tests, scans and appointments with GP’s and specialists, being tested for ‘nasties’ then everything else under the sun they decided on glandular fever. This led to a lymphatic disorder, adrenal exhaustion, lucid dreams, water retention and anxiety. None of this has been cured but I’ve got better at dealing with it. Last year I contracted a vira disease that is both stigmatised and uncurable. So, another thing I learned how to deal with. Both of these changed my life.
At first,I thought they were the worst things that could haveh appened, maybe they were…but they were the worst things that could have happened to a life I didn’t enjoy and needed to change. And wow did I change. I had to re-evaluatte what I wanted, reinvent myself, change my goals; improve my lifestyle, my work ethic, my determination to succeed. Not all of the re-evalueation was healthy, there were many, many stages I had to go thorough to get here and most were less than fun. But that too was part of the processs of building what I have today. And I wouldn’t change it. When you’ve gone through hell by yourself you have a new appreciation for the power you have over your lifie and a ne appreciation for yourself too.
I’m lucky, I’ve had emotional, physical support with all of it. But it’s like everyhting, people see one perspective and you’re experiencing 10,000 other ones. That was part of the reason for the Project. I had a better awareness and appreciation of the experiences of others; and ther realisation that while what I had been through was difficult, billions of others are surrering in ther own personal hell. I never wanted to know that someone felt alone when I was able to do something about it and give them what I hadn’t had. I wasnted to create somewhere safe and secure, a place where I could smash taboos, address humanitarian issues, somewher epeople could tell their sotry in their own words. No filters, judgement orr fear of identification. Where better to do it on Instagram? Where our masks are glorified, our realities filtered beyond recognition. I’ve now found that’s only one way to use social media.
With every story sent in, every collaboration achieved I get more hope in myself, more conviction that this is right; and stronger knowledge that behind the posts, the words, the actions and silences everyone has a reason why they are, and how they came to be where they are.
Both the Project and I have a long way to go until we reach our full potential, but I don’t feel alone anymore and the Project is more successful, healing and hopeful than I dreamed possible.
If you would like to contribute or collaborate with the How We Came To Be Project I am contactable on:
Howwecametobeproject@gmail.com