I'm 38. No girlfriend, no children, no job, no health. I've been asexual for ten years. I live off my parents' pension, and my mother has just finished chemotherapy. The patch medications I can get hold of in Hungary are just enough to let me work on myself, keep searching, keep fighting — all of it in vain, they don't treat the root of the problem. And despite that, I feel luckier than many of you, because I still have my parents, because we know there is a way forward, and we don't give up. For a few months I was better, thanks to an anti-Parkinson's drug, and then I crashed so hard that I ended up gambling with my medication .... I was lucky... I woke up in a hospital... The system has pushed me out completely. Competition for jobs is enormous, and the whole thing is full of deception, exploitation, and modern-day slavery. Not long ago I was ill, and I went out to sing by the castle anyway, out of sheer stubbornness, even in that lethargic state. I'm not sitting around doing nothing all day. I'm studying, so I can start my own business, possibly abroad, with Erasmus support. I keep trying. I don't know — I throw myself into everything, because keeping only one iron in the fire is a luxury you can afford when you're in a relationship. I know many of you will think this is a pathetic man-child. Yes, that's the reality for a lot of you. But anyone who knows me knows who I am, and doesn't see it that way. Hard years are coming. I'm not going to give up. I've been fighting for ten years — and you shouldn't give up either. There's always a way out, even when you can't see the light. I also know this isn't one of those beautifully polished pieces of writing so many people post. This is thrown together, written out of raw emotion. Hungarian isn't my mother tongue. Feel free to kick me some more in the comments. Go ahead. I'll even give you a head start: "Narcissistic, self-pitying…" — finish the sentence. This photo was taken in an oasis in the Sahara, with my soulmate, for whom I'm grateful. One breath drawn between two waves.