Chapter 18 - Paying it Forward
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As my life stabilized, I felt a deep, pulling need to return to the place where my entire perspective had changed.
Once a week, after finishing my accounting work, I began volunteering at City General Hospital. I worked with the domestic violence support group, sitting with patients who felt completely trapped, afraid, or alone.
I would walk into their sterile rooms, lean my cane against the wall, and simply hold their hands.
"I know exactly how you feel," I would tell them, showing them the small scar on my wrist from my hospital bracelet. "I know what it’s like to lie in this bed and wonder if anyone in the world is going to protect you. I know how terrifying it is to say the word 'no'."
I shared my story. I told them about the car crash, the casts, and the moment the hospital door opened. I told them about the social worker's question that saved my life.
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I watched the hope slowly return to the eyes of battered wives and frightened mothers. I helped them pack their bags, call lawyers, and safely escape their abusers.
Because I knew that true survival wasn't just about breathing in and out. True survival was about taking the love you learned to give yourself and offering it as a lifeline to someone else drowning in the dark.
