Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we carry—and the ways we learn to move through it—can define who we become. We asked community members from a broad array of industries to reflect on their defining wounds and have shared the responses below.
Debra Hume
When I was in college, my mom got colon cancer, but she was able to beat it and is health to this day. At the time of my mom’s cancer diagnosis, our family was divided and busy doing our own things. When we all received news of my mom’s sickness, it brought us together in ways that only a heart wrenching struggle can do. Read more>>
Cameron McClung
When my father passed away suddenly in 2018. I had lost grandparents & friends but losing my dad shook me like no other. We buried him 2 days before Christmas and I retreated to the mountains for a week and promised myself that when I came back I was going to ‘make it happen’. Read more>>
Dr. Chiquita Davis
Honestly, one of the deepest lessons I’ve learned is this: no one owes me anything. The betrayals, the setbacks, even the moments where I betrayed myself by staying silent, shrinking, or settling — they were all character-building moments. Not because they didn’t hurt, but because they forced me to confront what I allowed, what I tolerated, and what I never gave voice to. Read more>>
Johnny Shelby
On June 18th, 2023, two years ago, my life irrevocably changed. I was involved in a horrific car crash, an accident so severe the responding officer told my sister he only handled the most critical cases. I was extricated from the mangled wreckage, intubated, and airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital. The first week alone was a blur of over 20 surgeries in intensive care. Read more>>
