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Excerpt from Daring to Share Trauma to Recovery
Chapter 2 by DenaMaria Milanese ~ Inspiration
Early on, a beautiful night-time routine developed after my mother gave me a set of Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories. This special time became a great comfort to me because I believed there was something watching over and protecting me through life within these stories. I read these stories and other fairy tales over and over again; my favourite was Cinderella. While I read, I fantasized about the day my prince would come and take me up one of the mountains to a castle where we would live happily ever after.
One night when I was nine years old, I went to bed and was molested and raped. My fairy tale fantasy faded away in an instant and my safe haven was destroyed. I was so afraid of the man who did this to me that I froze and was not able to scream for help. My life changed in an instant; I felt damaged, dirty, ugly and disconnected from all aspects of feeling human. To this day, I experience moments when I hear his breath and my body immediately tenses as I respond to the memory of what happened so many years ago.
This sensation sometimes lasts for only a moment, but there are times when it seems endless as I focus on moving past the trauma that caused me to stop believing in God so many years ago.
Being part of the journey of this book and meeting Diana has made a huge impact on my life, both personally and professionally. Until working with Diana on this particular Dream Project, I didn’t realize how much authenticity was actually missing in my life. The Daring to Share movement gave me insight into how powerful sharing one's story and true self can be...
~ Philippa Douglas
Head of Fundraising, Karis Support Society
Project Coodinator, The Dream Project;
Daring to Share Trauma to Recovery
These stories of recovery take you from a place of awe and heartbreak to grit and resilience. They inspire you to take action in your life, no matter what is going on for you, to be a better person. Those that dared to share did so with grace, humour, and great self-reflection…
~ Tamara McLellen
Humanitarian | Wild Breath
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
After reading Diana’s collected stories, I felt grateful and inspired. Grateful because it is apparent that I and many others are NOT alone in our separate journeys. Inspired because each of these women stepped up to share their stories in order to provide strength and to elevate others…
~ Bill Welychka
Co-host & Co-Producer of
The Morning Show on Global News Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Meet theAuthors
Shannon Mackenzie
Chapter 1: Hope
Shannon is not a victim, but a survivor who wants to make a difference, and she fulfills that role each and every day. Forever the leader and a consistent motivator, Shannon refuses to get drawn into drama or negativity. She is a force to be reckoned with if you try to bring her down!!!
DenaMaria Millanese
Chapter 2: Inspiration
DenaMaria is a kind woman who feels deeply and loves greatly. She is an enthusiastic, passionate person with an enormous heart. Over time, all of these beautiful attributes gently percolate until suddenly and unexpectedly a cornucopia of creative energy explodes onto her canvas of life.
Jamie Stimson
Chapter 3: Love
Jamie is fully and unconditionally committed to her values and beliefs and shows up with clarity and decisiveness about who she is and where she comes from. Void of shame and filled with pride, Jamie stands up for the rights of herself and her community while beautifully celebrating her heritage through song and dance.
Charlene Genial Prosser
Chapter 4: Oneness
Charlene is that person we’ve all read about; the one who against all odds, manages to go beyond surviving and thriving. She is the warrior who fights for herself and others when no one else will and all with a smile on her face that never seems to disappear. Charlene extends compassion and kindness to all.
Leigh-Ann Sellars
Chapter 5: Wisdom
Leigh-Ann possesses a high degree of social intelligence. I have seen her jump into a conversation in support of another with the genuine compassion of someone who has experienced far too much for a woman her age. She is acutely aware of others and what they are feeling and has an uncanny way of articulating and bestowing her wisdom upon them.
Stephanie Stephens
Chapter 6: Hope
Stephanie has an ease of empowerment that she makes others feel beyond hopeful about the gift that life has in store for them if they are open to receiving it. She is willing to articulate how she feels including all of her good, bad, ugly, and sad. I believe she acquired great lessons from past life experiences that were incredibly difficult to endure and are not easily forgotten.