Survivor Story

In April of 1984, Jerry White, lost his right leg in a landmine accident, he outlines in his book “I Will Not Be Broken” five steps to cope with disasters and achieve strength and hope.

You have to face the facts: a person must accept the facts and the reality that this thing has happened and you can’t change it no matter what, you can’t set the clock back to the time before that incident. Sometimes suffering results from attachment to ideas and things more than the loss itself.
Choosing to live: look at the future and say yes to it, look at your life and choose it to go in a positive way, don’t surrender to what happened, let go of the resentment and look always forward and not backward.
Reaching out: after the incident there may come times of isolation and loneliness, break these times by reaching out to friends, family and people who have been through similar circumstances, don’t wait for someone to reach you, it’s up to you to reach to someone.
Get moving: take steps to move on with your life, step out of your house to generate motion, take responsibility for your actions, see what steps you can take to return back to your normal life.
Giving back: sharing your experience, skills and talents with others to inspire them to do the same. Survivors are in a special position to help and encourage others to heel and fulfill their potential. With the right support all survivors can heal and thrive. Ralph Waldo Emerson said “It’s one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”