Questioning the idea that survival comes with a purpose to fulfill I’ve survived two life-altering events, and what I’ve learned about purpose isn’t what people expect. They say, “God kept your alive for a reason,” or “God still has a purpose for you.” And I need to be honest about how that lands for me. It doesn’t feel comforting. It feels like pressure. Like surviving something traumatic automatically comes with an assignment—something I’m supposed to figure out later, some hidden meaning I’m expected to uncover. And in my case, this hasn’t been said just once. It’s been said twice. Once after my stroke in 2020. And now again after a near-death accident on September 6th 2025 that changed my life forever. So it starts to create a pattern I can’t ignore—that my survival is always being tied to some purpose I haven’t “fulfilled” yet. And that raises a real question for me: Why does it sound like I have to go through something catastrophic in order for my life to be cons...
People ask me how I’m holding on after everything that happened to me. How do you keep going when one person’s reckless decision permanently changes your life? The truth is, some days I’m barely holding on by a thread. One man’s choice didn’t just destroy my car. It destroyed my livelihood, my body, and my ability to live the life I built. He took my leg. And as a photographer and artist, my work depended on being on my feet—moving constantly, creating memories, capturing love, telling stories through my lens. That life was taken from me in an instant. Now I live with constant anxiety about how I’m going to pay my rent, cover my bills, and survive while trying to heal from catastrophic injuries. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a landlord who has shown compassion and patience, but the reality is, that understanding can only last so long. There are days when I feel one wrong word away from a panic attack. But I’ve learned that I cannot afford to live in fear. I cannot let my ...