To Live Without a Spirit

Growing up on the tree lined streets of the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, British Columbia, seemed surreal. The murders of eleven children occurred over an eight month period in 1980 and 1981. Some of the victims were abducted from the streets in which I played. The murderer responsible for these crimes, Clifford Olsen, lived on my block at the time that the murders took place. As a young girl, my childhood mind was unable to rationalize what I knew to be true. The world in which I lived was not safe. As I ventured forth through life I was privy to what seemed to be an extraordinary amount of horrendous crimes. As a result, mywellbeing suffered, and I found myself in the grips of anguish, heartache and fear, which almost ended my life. Feeling likeI was a character in a real life horror movie threatened my very existence. I was depressed, in trouble and unable to cope. The darkness in the world engulfed my being as I endured a relentless amount of personal hardships and challenges. After much pain and suffering, and a tragic Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, my ability to persevere and remain strong pay off, and I find a way to conquer the darkness. I use the word miracle to describe what happens next.