Breathing...essential to life.

Although I have plenty of studying to do with finals right around the corner, my thoughts that feel the need to be put on paper never pick very convenient times. I found this the night before I spoke at Calais and Woodland High Schools: 

I thought it describe what I’ve been trying to do perfectly.  As many know, I’ve created my own non-profit and named it Breathe the AIR (abuse, incest, rape) with the motto of “let your voice fly.”  

This quote made so much sense, I started thinking, metaphorically I held my breath for 7 years.  It took me 7 years to let me my voice fly and even then it had to be pushed out of me but once it was I guess you can say I haven’t shut up.  

I was laying in bed one night unable to sleep a little over a year ago and decided I was going to start my own non-profit.  It had been over 6 months since the sentencing of my biological father, he was found guilty on 18 counts of gross sexual assault, I testified.  But back to the non-profit, I some how came up with Breathe the AIR, I think because I finally felt like I could breath, this huge weight was lifted not off my shoulders but my chest, freeing my body to release everything it had to build up inside.  I then decided the motto was “let your voice fly” partially because who has never thought of flying and second I believed that my voice would travel and reach people that needed to hear someone else’s story before they shared their own.  Hey, it worked, after only speaking a couple of times, I had victims of abuse telling me that they believed they were now survivors.  This is music to my ears. 

The whole mission behind my non-profit was let others know that it is okay to breathe and to release whatever they built up inside.  Are you still holding your breath? 

It was 7 long years that I held mine.  The last couple were particularly hard because I was older 15, 16, 17 years old, I knew what was happening was wrong but I thought that someone else is worse off than me, and I was afraid.  I didn’t want to be judged by being the kid that was abused so there must be something wrong with me.  I now know that was never the case, I was manipulated by someone I should of been able to trust, it happens in most cases.  I could ramble off statistics but for anyone that has heard me speak you will know I will never consider myself a number.  I know that numbers tell a powerful story but I can also tell a powerful story without them.  

I don’t believe this is an appropriate time to tell that story but one day it will all come together.  So instead, I hope that Breathe the AIR will taking off flying and some how I grow wings and can keep up.  Are you still holding your breath? Come breathe with Breathe the AIR.