Being separated from my family at the age of five was far more devastating than the disability caused by the injuries at my birth. Most five-year-old children are just learning to read and tie their shoes. However, being deprived of nurturing stability, I became emotionally disconnected. This robbed me of my identity and purpose, and the broken parental bond profoundly affected my personality.

If you feel estranged from your social roots because of choices others have made on your behalf, you are not alone. Like many other disabled children of my generation, an institution was the only answer. Others have had similar experiences, like the Indigenous children in Canada who were subjected to residential schools.

My story is one of hope. I don't want to undo the injustice but offer hope for emotional wholeness. I have found that true connection is worth every ounce of effort and that social bonding brings true freedom.