It’s one thing to go through life, but it’s another to grow through it. On June 3, 2012, I survived a horrific car accident that rocked the city of Brunswick, Ohio. Four high school students were killed, one of which was my best friend, Lexi, and I was the sole survivor.
This car accident was the beginning of my new life. It completely changed me as a person, and shaped me into the woman I am today.
At 17, I had to deal with the trauma of being in a car accident that killed four teenagers, the death of one of my best friends, the attention of the entire city (and more), and all of the anxieties and struggles that came along with it.
For years, I attended counseling session after counseling session, thinking I was “cured” or “over it” after months of talking, just to return months later. I questioned the authenticity of everyone around me. I feared that I would lose my loved ones at the drop of a hat, because I learned that you never knew what life had in store. I faced depositions that required me to recount every moment of the car accident—down to my thoughts after realizing I was trapped in a car with no one around.
I had moments when I thought it would just have been easier if I died in the accident. I was dealing with things that no normal person has to deal with in their lifetime, and I was still just a kid.
Now, it has been what feels like a lifetime since the car accident, and I am a completely different person. Through therapy, I have mostly overcome my PTSD—although it does affect me from time to time—and I have truly learned who I am as a person. I am confident in who I am and where I’m going, and I am working every day to be the best version of myself possible.
I pour my energy into things that make me feel good and whole. I have grown a beautiful family and built a beautiful life, but there will always be a piece of “the accident” with me, no matter how much time has passed.
I still struggle, and that is what I share on this blog. I struggle with anxiety, residual trauma, immense amounts of pressure I put on myself, body image issues, relationships, and everything else a person in today’s world deals with. I want to use my struggles and what I have learned from them (and what I’ve learned in therapy, which I still regularly attend) to create content that helps others.
Visit a running list of my posts to read anything and everything that you feel you need, and if there is something that you need extra advice on, please don’t hesitate to reach out through my contact page.
With love,
Julia
Keep Going, Keep Growing 