I grew up in a household with a severely depressed mother and a distant father. I was transgender at a young age in a world where very few knew what it was except maybe on talkshows. I suffered from severe depression for most of my life. In short, i have been there. I was always that kid who everyone went to with their problems. I worked menial jobs, still being the person who helped people with their problems. One day while working with a coworker
And helping her with her relationship issues, she looked at me and said "Why aren't you getting paid for this? " after that during a layoff, i applied to college.
I also came out as trans publically in 2006. It was one of the scariest moments in my life because i lived in a small rural community.
I have raised 3 children of my own and am a surrogate mom to over 30 other kids who had crappy lives. You name it, one if those kids lived it.
When i came out as trans, i joined a transgender support website and made moderator after i proved myself. I was soon asked to join their crises response team. A 24 hour on call response team who mostly handled people crashing and thinking suicide. Our team talked the majority of them off that ledge and hopefully saving their lives so that they can clinical help.
In short, i have seen the lowest a person can get. I have been in the trenches with civilians and soldiers and have walked with them through their loss, despair and horrors that life had dealt them and gotten most of them to the other side.