I am no stranger to survival. Childhood abuse, family estrangement, and loss shaped me long before I became a grandmother. For years, I thought strength meant keeping it all inside.

Then life placed a little girl in my arms—my granddaughter—and with her came the chance to rewrite everything. Raising her did not just change my life, it saved it.

Here, I share the unfiltered truths of trauma, love, and starting over—because grandparents raising grandchildren deserve more than silence. We deserve connection, honesty, and the reminder that there is a way out of the chaos.