Picture Story, an idea inspired by Bobby Hawthorne. Every person has a story. In order to be able to tell other people’s stories, a journalist must be able to tell his own. We asked our new staff take a picture that they hold dear, whether they took it, or someone they knew did and write the story behind the image.

During my first varsity season with the soccer family I have grown attached to and loved, I had been going through a very difficult time in my life. My dad had been suffering from stage 4 bladder cancer and some days were harder for me to handle than others. But being at soccer I know I had a safe environment. I would show up every day almost as happy as ever, but inside I didn’t know how I could get through the day on most days.

My team had no idea until a week before his passing what I had been struggling though for months on end. But that did not affect the amount of love and support I was shown for the remainder of the season. On the 11th of May, a game was scheduled to take place but so was my dad’s funeral. I only felt more sadness and stress not being able to support my team at a game, even if it was just to stand at the sideline cheering them on. Little did I know, they were planning on supporting me that day. I sat with dried tears early that day in the Chelsea funeral home surrounded by mourning friends and family. All of the sudden, a large mass of faces flooded in through the doors and I saw my soccer family with concerned eyes and wistful smiles. I walked to them, streaming tears along the way. I had never felt more surrounded by support when they formed a huddle around me, as we do before and after every game. They all hugged me one by one telling me they loved me.

Although they could not stay for long, it meant so much they all took time from being in school to support me during the hardest day of my life. So every day, at the end of the day, I always tell myself no matter what I go through, I’ll always have that second family, that support system, the girls who will always have my back and anyone else’s on the team. I won’t need to feel alone because of my soccer team, and I cannot thank them enough for all they have helped me through

.