From prisoner to soldier.

I have a story to tell, and I thought, everyone likes stories, so I'll give it a go. My story is about a friend of mine, whom I'm quite proud of. A few months ago, last summer, she was in hell. Figurative hell, of course. She suffered from a panic disorder, and often found it difficult to leave the house (I didn't say it would be a wholly happy story).
She had come home from University for Summer, where she's just finished her first year studying journalism. For a few years previous to this, she's suffered from what you could call an anxious predisposition. However, after a stressful last month at University that saw her walk out of an exam in tears, Summer was then to be the worst few months she'd ever experienced.
It's difficult for her to explain what exactly was wrong, when it went wrong, or why it went wrong. The anxiety stemmed from a previous phobia of passing out, and turned into a full blown panic disorder, where she began to feel nervous in her own home, and her own bedroom, in fact. Without going into too much detail, it was lonely and frustrating, to say the least. For a few months, she barely left the house, and when she did, she had to constantly fight off panic attacks.The lowest point, she recalls, was when she was asked to do some writing over the Summer. All that the job entailed, was going into town to Topshop, to ask a member of staff a few questions about their Summer line. She got ready, prepared some questions, then cried her way back into her pyjamas, as she knew the 'get on with it' frame of mind just wouldn't work.
She tried hypnotherapy, counseling, and self-help books. One thing she didn't try, however, were a doctor's recommendations to try the same drug that killed Michael Jackson. Smart move.
The only thing that helped was going back to University to start her second year, and forcing herself to just get on with things.
After the darkest few months she has ever experienced, when she really didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, when a normal life seemed so far away, she is proof the the impossible is possible.
She may never be completely back to normal, and she may still panic on the odd occasion, but life's good again. Why has she decided to share this story now? Well, after not being able to leave her bed without shaking, she's now on her way to becoming a trained soldier in the Territorial Army. So next time you think something's impossible, it's not, trust me.