I was born to 2 military parents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. My siblings and I started school there and soon moved to Hawaii. After a few years on these 2 beautiful islands, our family of 5 decided to settle down in Texas where my brother and I finished our high school years. Moving so much throughout my childhood had made my family extremely close. For most of our years, it has always been just the 5 of us. No close relatives or family. So, when we lost my oldest sister in 2008, it was overwhelmingly devastating. Soon after my sisters death, I joined the Air Force and moved to Japan. I found love, got married and had a precious baby boy in 2012. In Feb of 2013, I was living in Maryland, on base housing at JBA. I was only 8 months postpartum when I got the knock on my door saying my husband had died. This turned me into a downward spiral. I struggled with addiction for many years after this and even made the decision to give my son over to my parents incase my addiction took my life. Thankfully, in 2017, I was able to quit using when I learned I was pregnant again. I had found love once more and was trying so damn hard to get my family back together. When this finally happened, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I’ve learned many new ways to cope with stress, grief, anxiety etc throughout these years I’ve been in recovery and in 2020, my dad passed away. I prayed that I wouldn’t turn back to my old ways and I implemented these new techniques I’ve learned to manage my episodes of stress and depression. I’m hoping to write a book to help others like me that deal with complex grief, mental health and addiction.
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thewashdownpodcast@gmail.com
#NeverAloneAlwaysForward
