I was born to a physically abusive, womanizing, and alcoholic dad. My mother was good at providing for us until she wasn’t. She was sexually abused by her stepbrother and great-granddad, which left her with years of undiagnosed mental illnesses that led her to alcohol and unhealthy sexual partners. I would say her parenting started getting bad when I was in fifth grade. She would be out at the bars all night and spend days on end with the guys she met there leaving us alone. Oftentimes, I come home from school with no food in the fridge, no clean clothes, and no supervision. I had no way of fending for myself and I didn’t even know how. I often stole the cans from the neighbor just so I could eat. My mom’s mental illness and ability to not get along with anybody caused us to move a lot and I rarely had friends. My mom would spend all her money at the bar, and many times, we got evicted from our houses. Which meant we moved in and out of my grandma’s house a lot.  My uncle lived there and started sexually abusing me. The abuse went on and off for 5 years maybe more. I met my husband, now 25 years when I was young and told him of the sexual abuse. There was a trial and my uncle went to jail for only a few years. The whole incident left me with depression and suicidal thoughts. I went to counseling, and for years, it all seemed under control.        However, about 5 years ago that’s when my health problems started. However, I do believe they were going on long before then undiagnosed. I suffered from terrible menstrual cycles for years doctors didn’t know why. I met a doctor who diagnosed me with adenomyosis, and I had surgery to remove all the unwanted tissues inside my uterus. This health issue that bothered me for years is now cured. I credit my old boss at work for finding the cure, who suggested the diagnosis. I lived with debilitating migraines for 11 years. I was on all kinds of migraine medicines, but nothing helped me. In 2020, I began having weakness in my legs and the inability to walk. I was diagnosed with the spinal cord compression. I had surgery to correct it, and it took me almost a year to strengthen my legs. My surgery cured me of my migraines as well and I haven’t had one in 4 years. In 2023 began to have abdominal pains and vomiting. For 2 months doctors didn’t seem to know what was going on. I had X-rays, CT scans, and an MRI, not showing anything.  I woke up one day, and I went to the walk-in clinic and asked them to do an ultrasound of my abdominal area. It came back that I had gallbladder stones, my gallbladder was enlarged and I had to have emergency surgery.  Then I was diagnosed with extreme PTSD.   I began to have nightmares, sleepwalking, night terrors, panic attacks, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and depression from the sexual abuse from my uncle. Every single night seem like I was reliving it. I’m seeing a therapist and psychiatrist who are helping me with my PTSD. Well, that’s a little story of my life. I want to let you know don’t give up hope if you have health problems with no diagnosis. It took them years to find mine and I was cured. They can find yours too. I’m still here fighting though some days are really hard. I have found comfort in writing poems, helping cats, forgiving others, and journaling. I have had to battle through life, it seems, and my favorite quote is one I wrote myself. “When my story is written and the ink in the pen is dry. May it read she laughed more than she cried.”

“When my story is written and the ink in the pen is dry. May it read she laughed more than she cried.”