How did I get here? It’s been quite a ride. 45 years of life so far and countless memories mixed with way too much pain and trauma. Raised by my parents, who are still married today, and the oldest out of their two daughters. I have survived Y2K, a deadly virus, 26 years of marriage, parenthood, and meth addiction to name a few. Clean for 19 years now, I dedicated my life to recovering everything addiction took away. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, or so I thought. My sister, being 6 years younger, followed in my footsteps, the wrong footsteps. I tried for years to help her maintain recovery to no avail. Fentanyl is ruthless and unforgiving. Recovery from meth addiction was beyond difficult but watching my sister fall deeper down the rabbit hole, being homeless and strung out, created a horrific feeling of helplessness and failure. So, for me, what was harder than overcoming my own demon was that night in the ICU. Time was up, I would never again get to talk to her or try to help her. She overdosed and was on life support. I have never felt so much guilt, fear, failure and responsibility. It has taken the rest of 2024 for me to learn, understand, and accept that this wasn’t my fault. I discovered that writing provided an out for all of my emotions, a healthy way for me to process life. And that is how I ended up here. My writing is very raw, very real, and very emotional and I am so grateful to everyone who appreciates and enjoys reading my work. I love that connections are made, even if we never meet, we will always be connected through the sharing of life’s most brutal moments and knowing that just maybe, my story helped someone else get though their most difficult situation.