**Disclaimer**
This article touches on topics that may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
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Trauma is the glue that connects most members of society. Most people, at some point, have experienced a sort of trauma, whether it be physical, mental/emotional, sexual or some other form. Loosely defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury,” trauma can leave lasting impacts on a person, but not every impact can be bad. In some cases, trauma can make you a better person. Now, at this point you may be thinking, this chick is out of her mind. Well, you may be right in some respects, but hear me out on this one. This may sound egocentric, but I’m going to use myself as an example.
In high school, I was diagnosed with some life-changing illnesses. In my freshman year, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos, a rare connective tissue disorder. Then during my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare nerve disorder called Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy, which is considered the most painful disease in the world. Due to my nerve disorder, I underwent many painful procedures, and I lost my ability to walk. During junior year, I got really sick. I was in and out of the hospital and, though they didn’t admit it then, my family thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to die.
I was then diagnosed with Gastroparesis, the partial paralyzation of the gastrointestinal tract, and I was told that my kidneys had started to fail. What ended up saving my life was a feeding tube. A feeding tube does exactly what it sounds like—it feeds you through a tube. In my case, the feeding tube was threaded from my nasal cavity down into my stomach and then taped to my face. This was something that was really hard for me to cope with.
The summer before my senior year, I spent 33 days inpatient at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where I relearned how to walk, and I was able to come off my feeding tube. Those were the best and worst 33 days of my life. One of the many things that helped me through my medical trauma was a child life specialist I would meet in the hospital. They explained every procedure and medical device I had to use. The knowledge they gave me let me feel like I regained control over my health.
Going through these experiences allowed me to meet the most amazing people and it let me help so many others. In my junior year of high school, a friend and I organized a fundraiser for the Ehlers-Danlos Foundation; we raised over four-hundred dollars that went toward research. In my senior year, I was able to start helping other teens with the same nerve disorder. I walked them through the process of finding care that was right for them. I talked to them to put their minds at ease; to let them know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Most importantly though, I feel like these experiences allowed me to grow stronger as a person. I’m not the same person I was five years ago, but my trauma allows me to help so many; it made me into who I am today. Without my trauma, I feel like I wouldn’t have as big of a purpose in life. It has become clear that my purpose is to help people like me. My purpose is to educate myself and the many others around me. My purpose is to one day be that child life specialist that helped me through some of the worst times of my life. My trauma doesn’t define me, but it has shaped me into the person I am today, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
I’m not only stronger from trauma, but so are you. Trauma grows into such a tenacious purpose that it can outshine the negative impacts. Some of the greatest movements in history stem from some sort of trauma, as do some of the most inspirational people that use their platforms to help so many. It’s said that trauma is one of the darkest events in someone’s life, but it’s our job to find the light in the darkness. Taking horrific experiences and turning them around can help with processing and healing all the while positively impacting society.
You may have trauma, but your trauma doesn’t have you. Trauma has shaped us into the strong individuals we are today, and without that, I don’t know where the world would be.