Boy, has the death of Hayden Panettiere affected me...

My heart hurts for her and the life she was given. She was so vocal about how her mother treated her, the assaults, the men in her life... and how motherhood affected her.

So many people default to blaming mental illness— for this, for mass shootings, etc. saying if he or she only got help. But I see it so differently. I see people as products of their environments, shaped by how society, individuals, and this world treated them.

I've risen from the ashes countless times, and it's hard. It's incredibly hard to keep getting beaten down, hurt, and abused by the very people you learn to trust and lean on. It is exhausting to love in a world that doesn't understand you—a world filled with angry, hostile people who derive joy from harming and using others.

People are always confused as to why a woman would stay involved with an abusive man. Do they just want to save them?

I'm sure some believe they can save them...

But others feel a quiet, heartbreaking sense of familiarity with what they've known their whole lives. It feels like home... They know how desperately they hoped someone would show up for them when they were in pain, so they try to be that person for someone else. It creates a connection that is almost impossible to break.

And others simply don't believe they deserve better, so they accept the punishment as their normal.

As I've said, her death has really affected me. I hope deep down she knew she deserved so much better than what this world gave her.

People judge her for giving up custody of her daughter, as if that was something she wanted to do. Do they think her heart was happy about that? It was the hardest, most selfless thing she could do for her child, even though it killed her inside to do it.

We need to treat people better. We need to stop breaking their spirits, their hearts, and their souls, so they can finally believe they are worthy of more... have more... and be more.

And I know some people are stronger than that and can overcome this stuff, but others don't have the strength. It's so sad...

What a light she shined. She literally sparkled when she smiled. Rest in peace, beautiful girl... rest in peace. <3