A week ago, I started a new part-time job. Nothing glamorous. No lights and sirens. No trauma. No death. No emergencies. No rushing from one crisis to the next. And after my first week there, I can honestly say something I never expected to say: I love it. But as much as I love it,…
As someone with an ACE score of 9, I have experienced nearly every form of abuse a person can endure. Physical abuse. Sexual abuse. Domestic violence. Psychological abuse. Verbal abuse. Emotional abuse. In 2006, I survived a near-fatal strangulation during a domestic violence assault. That night changed the course of my life in ways I…
Almost twenty years ago, I sat in an emergency room after being verbally abused, physically beaten, and forever changed by a near-fatal strangulation. The “nice guy” everyone knew was a dangerous drunk behind closed doors. My discharge papers said: “Discontinue this relationship.”“Return if symptoms persist.” Sometimes I wonder what those discharge instructions would say if…