1st time sharing my story in
2013
W3 Ottawa Event
"Always wear clean underwear..."
"That old adage flitted through my mind as I caught sight of myself in the mirror.. Little did I know that a mere 40 minutes later everyone would see my underwear as I lay broken and bloody on the highway..." ~ Elaine
When I was 16 years old, one of my best friends died by her own hand. Andrea’s death changed my life and that of everyone within her world to whom she mattered. Seeing how much people hurt, including me, eventually led me to realize the brutal impact of her choice. The devastation she left in her wake, forced me to come to terms with mortality, And emotional pain. And spiritual pain.
At age 20, I believe Andrea saved me from certain death. On a frozen highway, in the middle of the night my story and more are the examples I now use to inspire others to keep on keepin' on...
I once believed... Life was a vindictive bitch.
In short, my life became a bad movie of car accidents ( yes that was plural, and that's where the clean underwear comes in), botched surgeries, disease and personal crises that left me with a number of disparate metal body parts. I'm Bionic!!!
Life's curveballs turned my commitment to positive living into dogged determination.
It took a long, long time to find the right choice: I chose to live a different way - a positive way. I chose to embrace life: I chose, that no matter what life threw at me, I would not quit.
It took some soul-searching and much learning to evolve my life and claim my ability to live in gratitude every day. And to build my ability to create what I want - regardless of life’s sense of humour.