What Happened To Lani Garver

Hanaa Hameed
2009 Adversity
Both biologically and psychologically speaking, some people are more equipped to deal with trauma and adversity than others. Although class and prosperity can aid someone’s character, there is nothing more formative to a person than the adversities they face in life. While it’s true that some folks develop traits or ‘talents’ that aren’t necessarily used well, all people- to some degree- will change in the face of adversity. In the case of What Happened to Lani Garver?, Lani remains pure, happy, and lighthearted despite the constant stream of bullying from their classmates. By keeping and developing a sort of unbreakable resolve, Lani comes out of their high school a beaming ray of light, showing their fellow classmate

While issues such as sexism, racism, and prejudice still exist, other issues, such as drug abuse and mental illness have also become a topic of adversity as well. That, is not to say that these issues didn’t exist until more recently, but that only in the past few years have they become more ‘acceptable’ to discuss publicly. People like Josh Ramsay (of Canadian rockband Marianas Trench) and Macklemore are high riders to this discussion, Ramsay having battled a heroin addiction before twenty, and Macklemore having had repeated issues surrounding oxycontin. Both famed musicians in their home countries, these men have come out of their addictions stronger, and have both been vocal about the need to deglamorize drug use in the music industry. In Mayra Hornbacher’s Wasted she unapologetically discusses the ugly, gritty stories of her battle with anorexia, bulimia, and, at the time, undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder, in order to show the harsh realities of what glamorized illnesses are really like. Hornbacher goes into recovery like she had never truly been breathing until that moment, like her eating disorders had been suffocating her and her potential all along. While it was too late for Hornbacher, she knew that maybe her story could get to someone who needed it, just in time. Adversity, in these cases, led to an increase in empathy and understanding, and a willingness to change the ‘norm’ by putting their struggles into the spotlight in hopes that maybe somewhere, someone could avoid what they themselves had gone through. To be brave enough to try and break the stigma surrounding mental illness and drug abuse, is a talent in