A Survivor in Need of a Little Support

Hey guys! I want to share a story about someone I met along the way in my nursing journey and how his story broke my heart & touched my heart at the same time! He is so strong and courageous! His will to heal will change the world and help so many people with one day! But first to heal…

A little bit about him... (he has asked to remain unnamed at this time due to the severity of his trauma and the people that were involved). When I met him he had come in for an evaluation for pseudoseizures or PNES. Pseudoseizures are non epileptic and have been linked to PTSD, trauma and other psychological distress.

As mentioned above, PNES is usually a physical manifestation of psychological distress.

Some common causes include:

-sexual or physical abuse*

-traumatic brain injury

personality disorders, such as:

-dissociative disorders

affective disorders, also known as mood disorders

-post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)*

-anxiety*

-substance use disorder

-family conflict*

-anger management issues

I happened to meet him when these seizures were getting worse. When he would see a picture of his abuser or was triggered by a thought he would have what looked like a full on seizure, now with a new onset of amnesia. His caregivers and adopted family was at a loss and looking for answers. With the help of some colleagues we were able to get them in touch with some wonderful people from Selah Freedom. From a medical standpoint he was cleared and ready for discharge but from a psychological standpoint he was still needing a lot of nurturing and support. The team at Selah was able to get him into a Intensive Trauma Therapy program in Tucson, AR where he would begin his healing journey. His adopted mother asked to stay in touch and I have been following his path to wellness ever since.

He finished the program in Tucson but there was more healing needed. He is continuing his treatment at a long term facility were they are better equipped to work with his specific diagnosis and will be able to continue to work with him to heal from his trauma and get further stabilization so that he an live a normal life free from pain and suffering.

I recently read an update he had posted and it touched my heart...

"Hey yall! Hope everyone is doing well Im coming on here to give everyone an update on how I have been doing! So this might be very long so I apologize in advance lol.

So since I got back from therapy on the 16th of September… Life has been having its ups and downs… which is to be expected. I lost friendships that I never want to lose, I also lost “ family” because they dont believe me on things I have said, but anyways there has been alot of hurt. Then I just found out recently from a recent doctors visit that I have lost my licenses for a year because of my seizures… now I didn’t expect that one bit because we were told that i would only lose it for 6 months… So I was very excited to have my license in about a month or two, but now I have to wait untill august of next year… which hurts alot, alot more than I put on. But I know there is a reason for it… I will continue to trust the lord

Oh boy the best topic of it all lol seizures. Im very happy and pleased to say I haven’t had a seizure in 2 months!!! Im so happy!!! Now you might ask ( why all of sudden they just stopped ) I just wanna say forgiveness is a very powerful thing… I was able to forgive a person that has done so much harm to me.. the whole reason my seizures started. So yea im not going to go into that anymore, except I wanna say God is good!!!!

So next thing is school! I have been doing school full time! Im working on getting my high school diploma in about a couple of years, I will have until the age of 21 to get it. Big thanks to my local school helping out and giving me an opportunity!! Also wanna say Im not a drop out or anything… I was just never schooled untill now So currently Im not working I will be doing full time school!!!!

If you made it this far im very surprised lol! You must really like But all this good stuff that I have been mentioning… Im still having my problems. Here is a little list

1. Im still having nightmares… Ive been having them on a daily basis. I can’t seem to shake them… Im going through therapy rn, so that might be triggering them. So I ask that you can pray for me that I will be able to be helped from nightmares… also with therapy too!

2. Being patient. With losing my license and not being able to work… its hard to be patient with everything, and “take a break” i know the Lord has a plan, but I need help with patience…

3. Worrying about income. Right now Im currently not receiving any income… Because I dont have a license, doing full time school, and going through therapy I cant have a job right now. So its very scary not having a steady income… because I still have to get a car ( when I get my license back lol ) pay for insurance, gas, etc. So I ask that I will not worry about that and trust the Lord! Im thankful for my family supporting me that they can

Those are the major things… Thanks for such much for reading. I just felt lead to share a life update… Just want to say thank you to all the new people coming beside me and supporting me… Most thankful for my family! ❤️"

I am so grateful for my job as a nurse and the lives that I touch and have been touched by along the way!

If you feel called, please show some support by donating or even just leaving some words of encouragement for this strong young man on his journey to freedom and mental wellness.

Thank you all and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!