@Chi3di 1 July 2025

She was my only friend and I didn't even know she was dying

--- 💔 It Hit Me Hard. It Really Happened. It really hit me. I didn’t want to believe it — but it happened. She was my only real friend. The one person who knew me for real — the loud laugh version of me, the “I’m tired of this school” version, the me that used to cry over assignments and dance anyhow after school. We finished secondary school together. Wrote WAEC together. Took graduation pics like we owned the world. We even said, “No matter what happens in uni, we won’t stop talking.”

But you know how life be sometimes... We both got admitted — different schools, different states. At first, we’d still talk small. “Hey babe, how’s school?” “Omo, you won’t believe what happened in my hostel today…” But over time, the chats reduced. She’d call me randomly — even late at night. I’d ignore it. Or look at the screen and go, “I’ll call her later.” But I didn’t. She’d send stuff like: > “Can I talk to you?” “I just need to hear your voice.” “You free?” And sometimes she’d ask for ₦1k... or even ₦2k. I had the money, but I didn’t send it. I told myself she was being dramatic. Maybe lazy sef. I said, “Abeg, we’re all going through things. I can't carry her own too.” Eventually… she stopped calling. Stopped texting. Stopped posting WhatsApp updates. I didn’t even notice. Then one random day in our secondary school class group… Her number popped up. But it wasn’t her. > “Hi everyone. This is Joy’s cousin. She passed away two nights ago.” “She took her own life.” I froze. Legit couldn’t breathe for a minute. Suicide? I kept reading. They said she had been going through it — real stuff. Depression. Hunger. Even harassment. Always locked up in her room. Sometimes no food. And the so-called “friends” around her? Just users. She felt alone. She was alone. She tried to reach out… and nobody really saw her. Then it hit me again — the calls. The messages. The voice notes I didn’t open. The “I just want to talk” I ignored. She was crying for help... silently. And I wasn’t there. That night I cried like a child. I cried for all the things I didn’t do. For all the “maybe if...” questions. If I had just picked the call. If I had sent the ₦1k. If I had replied one message... Maybe she’d still be here. Now all I have is screenshots. And regret.

--- 🖤 A Note to You Reading This Please. Check on your people. Even if you’re angry. Even if they “seem okay.” Even if it’s been long. Pick that call. Reply that chat. Send that ₦500 if you can. Sometimes people don’t need solutions — they just want someone to care. Because one day… it might be too late. --- “You don’t need to fix people. Just don't disappear on them.” #MentalHealth #SupportYourFriends #SuicideAwareness #CheckOnYourPeople #LifeThreadsDay2 ---