Never Judge

About a month ago I saw a girl I went to school and church with, I barely recognized her and my first reaction was to text a mutual friend of ours from back in the day and ask "what the heck happened to 'Suzy'?"
Suzy had been sitting in a local coffee shop with an older man, she was very obese and dressed in rags, I could barely see the girl I knew in that face anymore but knew it was her.
The mutual friend said they had lost touch with Suzy as well but knew she was not well and had fallen on hard times. Her mother is still living but I don't remember her having siblings.
I saw her again this morning hanging outside the same coffee shop, she had a phone and a cigarette and clothes on her back.  (tattered, torn, stained clothes but clothes)
I thought about it then and I think about it now.  But especially now, I just finished "Furiously Happy" by Jenny Lawson, which is a humorous look at depression and other mental illnesses.
Suzy was always the funny one in the group, loud, irreverent, no-filter, you get the gist.  We always thought she was a little bit crazy, in a way teenagers think people are crazy.  Like one of these days she will grow out of it or someone will come along and set her straight.  We knew her mother was very strict and we or I did not know much about her father.  Her mother was very involved in the church and youth group. (I think more to keep an eye on Suzy then anything else)
I know this is already long but I do have a point or something.
Suzy never received the help she needed.
Mental Illness is not something your family wants to admit you have or help you with it.  Mental Illness is not something you want to admit you have or ask for help.  I am pretty sure there was mental and physical abuse in that home.  I do believe both parents suffered from mental illness as well, so it all seemed normal to the whole household.  (I am also reading "Childhood Disrupted" by Donna Jackson Nakazawa)
Suzy seems content, though a bit of sadness is seen in that face I barely recognize shows through.  Maybe this is the best she can do with what she has.  But I wonder who she would be if she had gotten the help she needed when she was younger.  Who she would be if her parents had gotten help.
Mental Illness should not be any more of a stigma than Cancer or Hyperthyroidism or Heart Disease.  No one is ashamed of admitting they need help with those illnesses.  Your brain is an organ, it can get ill too, it can also heal or adjust.
PLEASE BE KIND TO YOURSELF
PLEASE BE KIND TO OTHERS
NEVER JUDGE ANY ILLNESS
GET HELP
BE HELP
I FREAKIN LOVE YOU ALL <3 p="">