Triggered Speech (Long Term Survivor)

Longtermsurvivor 1

To whom it concerns—especially the concerned:

If you’re easily triggered by pain, suffering, or truth unwrapped in emotion, I kindly suggest you excuse yourself before I begin—because what I’m about to share isn’t imagined, exaggerated, or optional. I lived it. And when I lived it, there were no soft lights, gentle tones, or buffers for my trauma. I didn’t get a warning. I was the warning.

For over 60 years, I’ve been trying to explain what survivorship really looks like—what it costs, what it damages, what it demands. Not just on my body, but on relationships, identity, and trust. And when I speak, people flinch.

Why?

Because they still want trauma to sound poetic. They still want survivorship to feel inspirational. But what I’ve endured—and documented with receipts—is often unbearable to hear. And yet, it’s mine. I speak it not to wound, but to witness.

So yes, my words may cause discomfort. They may awaken conscience. They may shake assumptions. But here’s the truth: If hearing it causes distress, imagine what surviving it does.