How does someone go from the pic on the left…to the pic on the right, so quickly? By accepting help.
If you follow sports (& take a look at the original post on his story I shared on IG, literally – exactly a yr ago), the pic on the left is all too familiar. It’s Delonte West, former NBA player, in a difficult spot, shirtless on a street corner, self-medicating through a mental health challenge.
The one on the right, it was reported yesterday, is where he is right now, WORKING FOR the treatment facility that gave him the help he needed.
As Theo always says: “trauma, addiction, mental health are all cousins living in the same house.” Our society treats them like they are separate topics, but they are all connected. When we see ppl, especially public figures, struggling…we make assumptions & ascribe narrow labels.
So happy that the former owner of a team he played for, Mark Cuban w the Mavericks, & others, helped Delonte get the help he needed, & now Delonte is paying it forward & will go on to help & save many lives.
This serves as such a strong example as to the transformation that ANY of us/our friends/fam can make…& it therefore provides a visual of something so important – HOPE. Delonte’s own work isn’t done…but helping is healing!
