* I wrote this after my last visit to A&E ( 2 weeks ago)

This young girl broke my heart because she reminded me so much of my mother.

My mother was schizophrenic, which I believe she developed due to the stress of leaving her native land and trying to bring up a small child in a foreign country without a great deal of support ( my father was still in the Merchant Navy)

Mental health can affect anyone at anytime for many reasons.

Never judge the book by the cover.

We all have a story to tell, and some of our stories are not pretty.

We tell them, never for pity, but to let others know, they are not alone in their struggles!

She was prettier than any butterfly.

Perhaps a little too thin.

Her hair was pink and her skin porcelain.

My nose stud had caught her eye.

She had one too.

We laughed as we recalled the pain.

Chatting passed the time as we waited for

a nurse or doctor to acknowledge our existence.

Picadilly Circus would have been quieter.

I never pry people reveal what they need to.

Every now and then, her eyes would glaze

over as if she were somewhere far away.

She reminded me of my mother.

Too young to be plagued by demons.

An accident and emergency ward is not the place

for a frightened rabbit, which she was.

The longer we waited, the more agitated she became.

I tried to hold her while most looked at her as if she were high on drugs.

I knew she wasn’t.

All she wanted was someone to take away her pain.

Eventually, they took her to a cubicle.

Never judge the book by its cover.

I hope she gets the care she needs.

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