I will start by saying that the stories mentioned are based on real events of the people I know, people I have read about, and some experiences of my own. This is not a cry for help, but instead a battle cry.

Some say that people can’t change. They say the mean girl from high school will always be that way and that the sweet boy next door could never hurt a fly, they say that how you are now is essentially the same as you will be in five, ten, fifteen years. Some people seem to think that if a happy and loving girl is forced into the worst situation of her life that she will be the same person when she comes out the other side. Some people expect, no, demand that you be the same after you go through something difficult.

Luvada Shannon changed. She will never be the same. She was beaten down, broken, abused, and taken advantage of by someone she thought she could trust. When she finally started talking to people again they were offended that she thought differently than she used to, pissed off that now she won’t let a rape joke slip by without pointing out how wrong it is, confused that she no longer wants to be touched inappropriately as a way to be funny, they’re hurt that she is no longer okay with sexual jokes at her expense.

James Carter changed. He will never be the same. He watched as his friends and fellow soldiers were taken down, he watched as the homes of innocent civilians were blown apart, he watched as that grenade went off and destroyed everything around it including his right foot and left leg and thigh. When he finally returns home his friends are annoyed that he isn’t thankful to be alive, they point out that it could have been worse so he should just get over it, they’re ticked off that he doesn’t want to play Call of Duty anymore, hurt that his behavior is no longer completely his own.

Eleanor Lynn changed. She will never be the same. She was molested in a room full of people, sat at a table as the stranger groped her and said unspeakable things to her. She was frozen, hoping and praying to every god that the girl across the table would save her, would tell him off, but she simply sat there. Her family tried to help her, but eventually her parents started getting upset when she was anything other than who she was before. She was plagued with night terrors and panic attacks and she was told it shouldn’t affect her anymore, that it was weeks, months, and now almost an entire year ago. She is told she is weak because she changed, weak because she didn’t fight him off, weak because she now cries herself to sleep.

Sebastian Parker changed. He will never be the same. He went through something so horrible that he hasn’t said a single word in months. Only two people know what happened to him, and he has to see the other every single day. His father was someone Sebastian thought he could trust, but now the two share a terrible secret that Sebastian is too afraid to share. He doesn’t need to share his experiences with anyone. He doesn’t need to be victimized or have his pain broadcasted.

So many people have changed and will never be the same. Their families are sad because their favorite niece or nephew, brother or sister, daughter or son aren’t acting the same way that they used to, are mad because they have different opinions because they’ve had different experiences. Every interaction, every decision, every conversation had changes a person in one way or another.

People change when horrible things happen. People who go through the worst will never be the same. Their friends and family try to pressure them into being a person who they aren’t.
I changed. I will never be the same. I went through something horrible but I didn’t let it break me, I am not the same girl I was before, but I am still me.