00:00I was lonely, I was sad, I was miserable and I couldn't figure out why because I was on top of the world it felt like.
00:14It's also something that I deal with and I know that there's tons of other people that deal with mental illness.
00:19So I feel like I want to use my voice to do more than just sing.
00:24Did you hear that Barney? I almost did it, I almost did it.
00:35From when I was bullied until now I've suffered an eating disorder from the things that were said to me.
00:45It was a way of expressing my own shame of myself on my own body.
00:54I guess I always searched for what he found in drugs and alcohol because it fulfilled him and he chose that over a family.
01:24I'm a survivor of mental health and addiction issues and I'm not ashamed. In fact, I'm more than honored to be here.
01:47I'm helping one person at a time. I'm going to pay for their treatment.
02:00Basically like a therapy session before the concerts and we have speakers from all over and we're also helping out with different charities from around the country.
02:18I think there were tons of signs that were missed by the people around me but I didn't also vocalize it. That's why it's so important. That's why I'm involved in this campaign.
02:33I'm an American for marriage equality. I believe that love comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors.
02:39And this award means so much to me more than music. Any music award because this is the real stuff.
02:52The reason why I became so open about my story is because I know that there are people here tonight that need to ask for help and I want you to know that it's okay. Mental health is something that we all need to talk about and we need to take the stigma away from it.
