Abandoned
Orphaned
Manipulated
Gay
It was no wonder that I became rebellious and resentful. Standing up to all these pressures in my life and faced with my grandmother's mortality, I reverted to the frightened child I thought I had left behind. I was overcome with anxiety and panic attacks, that paralysed me to the point of contemplating suicide.
The years of abandonment and feelings of futility following my childhood institutionalisation and the early death of my mother from a lifelong illness, manifested themselves in highly emotional and physical ways that made it impossible for me to function in society - so I withdrew.
From within this debilitating experience, I had to find a way through by obtaining the professional help I needed. This is my story of tenacity to live my life with the freedom to make my own decisions.