What was left of my self-worth broke when I woke up to realize that I had been abused by the person I once loved as a father. After a loving and active childhood, our family was suddenly not welcome when a new president took power, and “rebels” started abducting, abusing, and killing “the others” in Congo. When my uncle was allowed to leave after being abducted and set free, my parents decided to send me and my two younger sisters with him. After three months of hiding, we got out and spent the next 1,5 years in a desert refugee camp in Cameroon, where my childhood started slipping away. Once we got accepted in the Netherlands, our relationship with my uncle changed, and I felt his hatred towards us grew. As if the challenge of having to adapt to a new country was not enough, his neglect and abuse grew to the point where I closed down for good and focused on surviving while hoping for a miracle. When the sexual abuse started, I started to feel like the dirty “bad luck” he used to call me. See how our mother found us after escaping and being accepted into Norway. I dared to open up slowly when I realized it was safe and her love was there to stay. Learn how my need to tell my friends why “I left them” helped me continue being open and start processing my traumas. This helped me to lean into the church community, where I met peers who could hold my story, which allowed me to utilize my trauma as a strength. When I learned more about trauma, I started actively transforming the narrative to move beyond the belief that it was my fault and his power over me. Once free, I managed to utilize the same momentum to push through other challenges like structural racism and having to adapt to a new country once again. Slowly, I allowed myself to heal and build the mother, entrepreneur, and woman I am today.