An Old Soul's Light: Healing After Abuse

Help Julie Heal and Rebuild After Leaving Abuse

Hi, my name is Julie Allen.

For a long time, I’ve been carrying pain that I thought I just had to live with.. from invisible illnesses, untreated injuries, and, hardest of all, from people who hurt me instead of helping me heal.

But now, for the first time, I’m choosing myself. I’ve left an unsafe and abusive situation, and I’m determined to build a life where I can finally rest, recover, and focus on my health.

It took everything I had just to walk out of that house, even though I was already having seizures and barely able to stand. Since then, I haven’t been allowed back into the other home to get what I need or to care for my pets. One of them is injured and isn’t getting the care she needs, and it breaks my heart knowing they’re still stuck there without me.I also have not been able to return to get my assistive devices or any of my belongings. I truly don’t know how I made it out, but I did.

At my lowest, while hospitalized, a nurse came into my room — and I swear she saved my life. She noticed I was having focal seizures, something no one else had recognized. They kept calling them "episodes." She was one of the first people who started calling them “seizures." She gave me the medicine I needed, stayed by my side, and talked me through each terrifying wave. Most of all, she reminded me who I really am: someone who helps others, someone the world still needs.

Her words still echo in me now:

“You’re going to get through this. You’re going to get back to helping the kids. You just need to get out of here first. I'm giving you 6 months to be back with them, somehow.”

Those words reminded me of the person I still am — someone who shows up for others, even when it’s hard.

I’ve worked as a kindergarten teacher in the ese inclusion classroom (mostly title 1 schools) and as a one-on-one registered behavior technician, supporting kids in some of the most challenging circumstances. Every day, I showed up with strength, patience, and a heart for those who needed me most. I did this even when the environments were physically and emotionally overwhelming. But, over time, my health and well-being suffered.. not because I wasn’t capable, but because the systems around me failed to provide the support and accommodations they promised.

With healing and real support, I know I can return to the work I love, helping kids who need someone who truly sees them.

Why I Need Help

I’m starting over from scratch, with almost nothing. Your support will help me cover the basics while I rebuild:

Understanding Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic connective tissue disorder, makes recovery even harder. It affects everything from my joints to my nerves, but because it’s mostly “invisible” to others, I’ve spent years being dismissed and misunderstood. Now, as my condition has progressed, I almost always need a walker or wheelchair to get around safely — but people still assume I’m too young to need them, or that I must be exaggerating, or even lying.

This is why your support matters so much: it allows me to finally focus on healing without having to keep proving how much pain I’m in.

How You Can Help

If you can donate, I am endlessly grateful. If you can share this privately with someone who might want to help, that would mean so much. And even if all you can offer is your encouragement, please know that it matters more than you know.

Thank you for reading my story, for believing in me, and for helping me make this the chapter where I finally get to heal and focus on myself. I do truly hope to heal and get back to helping the kids who need someone like me. I am my best, happiest self when I am working with them. That is where I belong, but I know it will take time to get back there.

With love and gratitude,

Julie Allen

I have been asked frequently for these:

1. Venmo @julie_marisa 

2. Cashapp $juliemarisa 

3. PayPal @julieallen7

For those interested in learning more about dystonia in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, you can read about it here: https://www.eds.clinic/articles/dystonia-in-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-eds

https://caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-news/dystonic-storms-four-patients-hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome/

For those interested in learning more about prolotherapy — one of the treatments I hope to access — you can read about it here: https://caringmedical.com/prolotherapy-doctor/ross-hauser-md/