New perspective changed my life

I had a horrible childhood. You are probably thinking, “Well, didn’t we all?” But I am here to tell you that mine was a particularly terrible one. When I was growing up, I faced many challenges that most kids don’t have to go through. I was the second of four children and we were all four years apart. By the time I was five, we had been evicted from four places for not paying the bills. My mom worked so hard to try to make ends meet, while my father “took care” of us. His idea of caring for us was sitting on the couch, drinking some whiskey and watching TV, while we rummaged through empty cabinets to try to find something to eat. He actually told us that the different colors of M&Ms represented the food groups; green was vegetables, orange was fruit, yellow was dairy products, and brown and was meat. Sometimes we had a small bag of M&Ms between the four of us kids, and a can of beans and four spoons. It was a very difficult childhood. I’m surprised that my three siblings and I made it through. My mother finally divorced our father when I was seven. I remember that final winter we were together. The water had been turned off and the pipes had burst. We were making food on an outdoor grill in the kitchen. We had to use the bathroom at a gas station up the street, because we didn’t even have water to flush the toilet. It was a very desperate time. My father never paid child support, never visited us and my mother worked so hard to keep us fed. We lived in a motel for quite some time, because she couldn’t even save up for an apartment of our own.

I just studied and buried myself in books. I ended up doing so well in school that I skipped third grade. But I always felt inadequate. I always felt like everyone else was better than me and that I had to constantly prove my value. I battled depression for years before I found Dr. Priscilla Slagle’s Web site, which introduced me to her book, The Way Up from Down. I learned that I am good enough and that by embracing who I am, I really can do anything. I am in my second year of medical school and I plan to be a pediatrician. As a physician, I will be able to positively impact the lives of children. Also, last year I began volunteering as a child advocate at a local women’s shelter. There really is a way up from down and through the wonderful advice and direction provided by Priscilla Slagle, M.D., you, too, can find it. I highly encourage you to check out this educational and insightful Web site. It can help you make positive changes in your life. Just by changing my perspective and taking nutritional supplements to address deficiencies within my body, I have seen a drastic improvement in my attitude and my self-esteem. I have also recommended her book to my mother and siblings. It has been a tremendous help to them as well.