One of the world’s biggest and most prevalent issues in modern society is mental illness. Depression alone affects nearly 15 million people in America.

There has been a project going on for years called Project Semicolon. This project is a non-profit organization in support of those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction, or self-injury. The project’s slogan is “your story isn’t over.”

One of the biggest shows of support is people getting a tattoo of the semicolon on wrists. Many people have been seen with this tattoo, and People Magazine even wrote an article explaining what it was all about.

In 2013, Amy Bleuel created the organization after her own struggles with depression and after the loss of her father to suicide. Bleuel says that the project started simply by asking supporters to draw a semicolon on their wrists. A semicolon was chosen because writing a semicolon is used when an author chooses not to end a sentence. Bleuel explained the metaphor, “You are the author, and the sentence is your life. You are choosing to continue.”

The project has grown from a grieving daughter asking support in the wake of losing a parent. It is a sign of love and hope and support in a world that’s hard to live in sometimes. Merchandise has been made emblazoned with the semicolon; people have chosen to permanently mark their skin with the symbol.

While Project Semicolon does not provide mental health services, they are a great source of inspiration.