I breathe via my writing. At sixty-four years old, confined to a bed, paralyzed, yet living with debilitating pain, it gives me reason to stay alive, along with a sense of self-worth.

Writing released all that had been bottled up inside and torturing me for decades. It has taken nearly fifty years for true emotional and spiritual healing to begin. Incessant suffering has caused me to feel as if I am the guilty party, instead of the fact that I am the victim. Penning my story was a much-needed catharsis dealing with sexual, physical and emotional abuse – an emptying of the garbage that has cluttered the alcoves and dungeons of my mind and caused me many years of emotional trauma.

However, what I thought was the end of my life turned into a fulfilling new chapter. Some people call me Wildflower because for as many times as life crushed, spit on, raped, tortured, and otherwise abused me – I still survive – I persevere and am now positioned to help others do the same.

I now host a human trafficking awareness website www.slaveryshatterslives.com and a human trafficking and sexual violence awareness page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/humantraffickingbeaware/?ref=hl

I have made it my mission to do all I can from the chains of my bed to help survivors and have become another voice for the countless victims held by these monsters now. Side note: No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Just spreading awareness can make an impact. You never know who you inspire to get involved.

As for me, I often wonder how it is that I survived. My captors could have easily killed and disposed of me. After several suicide attempts, I might have overdosed from drugs, died from cutting my wrists, or worse, contracted AIDS as well.

I’m a very lucky girl.

To cope emotionally, to save others from similar fates, to warn them of the hideous dangers that lurk in plain sight – I have to write.

“Your writing matters as much as the hard labor others do. You teach us all through your words the value of helping other human beings through tragedy.” author unknown