Wounded Survivor: A Personal Memoir on Surviving Loss of Loved Ones, Sexual Abuse, and Illnesses (Mental and Physical)

By Jheanell Reynolds

Wounded Survivor is a highly personal memoir about surviving sexual abuse, dealing with the loss of loved ones, and living through mental and physical illnesses. By the time readers finish this book, they will have gained deep insight into the author's life and her journey to becoming the strong woman she is

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Nov 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649904072

Jheanell Reynolds

Jheanell Reynolds immigrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica after graduating high school at the age of sixteen. She completed her BS degree in Biological Sciences and worked as a market researcher in the oncological products and rare diseases arena before moving on to the consumer products market for two years. She has survived the loss of loved ones, sexual abuse, and mental and physical illnesses. Jheanell is a proud aunt of two amazing nieces and one incredible nephew. She resides in Pennsylvania, USA.

Book preview

Introduction

HI! WELCOME TO my book, Wounded Survivor. If you are reading this, it is very likely that you have experienced or know someone who has experienced one or more of the following: the loss of a loved one (a family member, friend, pet, etc.), sexual abuse, mental illness, or physical illness. These are probably some of the most miserable clubs to be in, and most of us would likely avoid them, if we could. In this book, you will read my gut-wrenching experience with loss, the sexual abuse I have endured, and the mental and physical illnesses that have occurred as a result of all those traumas.

I lost my twin brother at age thirteen, my father at age sixteen, and my mother at age twenty-one. Unfortunately, I joined the sexual abuse club when I was molested by two different men at age fourteen and again at sixteen. I was then raped by an ex-boyfriend at twenty-eight and again by a man I met online at age thirty. I never told a soul about my assaults and molestations, until recently in therapy, maybe because I was ashamed, and for a long time, I denied they even happened to me. I had suppressed them in my mind and truly believed they hadn’t happened at all.

As a result of my experiences, I started drinking heavily to numb the pain, and I was extremely suicidal. Eventually, I was hospitalized to protect me from harming myself, for which I am grateful because I am alive to tell my story. I have six mental illnesses as a result of my traumas, and I’m currently battling lupus with lung involvement. I presently reside in a nursing home because of this illness, but I’m trying to get stronger so that I can be more self-sufficient and move to an independent living facility and eventually to my own place. That is my goal, and I am determined to see it