GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--After several suicide attempts a Grand Rapids woman is sharing her story of resilience in hopes that others will live to fight another day.
Her new mission, to keep on that track while giving back to families thousands of miles away.
Kim Johnson was told to to give up, she was told she couldn't do it.
Now she's turning that negative energy into something positive, running her first 6k marathon to help bring water to families in Africa, a goal that is giving her purpose, one that she says is bigger than her.
May 4th, a day that Johnson Is looking forward to.
"I'm not a runner by any stretch but I'm doing this mainly to keep myself accountable to doing something and doing something bigger than myself," says Kim Johnson, running to fight depression.
On May 4th Johnson will run with her church group in the global 6k for water, helping families in Africa get clean water.
"We take for granted clean water, we go into the sink or we go into the water bottle and get things and they don't have that option," says Johnson.
So she's running to raise money for filters, a feat she says her knees don't agree with. But it's about more than overcoming the physical challenge.
"Doing this helps not think so much about depression. I have you know some attempts of taking my on life and technically I have no business doing this run but I'm going to do just because people say I can't do it," Johnson says.
After years of watching her daughter battle depression, Kim's mother, Georgia, says she feels her daughter has found a purpose.
"In helping others is how she's going to grow because she doesn't dwell on herself for one thing which is good for her and I think this is another way for her stretch out to help others," says Georgia Johnson, Kim's mother.
Johnson says her battle with depression is far from over but she tells me she hopes to continue to help others, and in that way, start to win that battle.
"I know there are people who deal with this every day I hear ya. I understand and just if you can reach out to somebody that can help you who can help you, it doesn't have to end in tragedy and accomplishments it can't do anything but bring you up," says Johnson.
If you'd like to send Johnson words of encouragement and positive notes, you can click on this link.
