I was born in Bronx, NY and grew up there in a REALLY dysfunctional family with 8 brothers and sisters and a mother who was addicted to all sorts of stuff and possibly a prostitute until I was 4 1/2 and then the state took me away and I was put up for adoption. I was adopted down here ((Tampa, FL)) by my adoptive family, as an only child and grew up the remainder of my life down here. I began struggling with anorexia and bulimia at the age of six. By 12 I began self harming. By 16 I began substance abuse with pretty much any drugs possible including alcohol and my world was falling apart. I went to treatment many times. Had many hospitalizations. My family didn’t understand me, because in my adoptive family… there was no history of an addictions and I was the only one. So there was A LOT of denial. I was also a dancer from the time I was 2 1/2, so that played a big part into the ED. I nearly died when I was 13 and had a heart attack and still wasn’t scared. It wasn’t until I hit about 23 and was teaching dance and in a professional dance company, that I decided I had to stop everything I was doing to harm myself. I had an epiphany I guess you could say. I was basically asked not to come back to teach or dance in the company the following year by people I had known for the majority of my life because they realized how out of control I had gotten. I took that as a sign that I truly needed to get help as an adult, and thus my process began for recovery. I had one more stint in the hospital and that was all it took. I got serious in my recovery, had a few setbacks, and no more hospitalizations. I have now been SI free for over 2 years, and in recovery from both bulimia and anorexia over 2 years. I have been sober from all substances for 4 years now. It was a VERY long road, but I know if I would not have taken the time to invest in my recovery that I so desperately needed to…. I would not be able to be standing here today. On top of this. In 2006, I graduated from college with my BA in accounting… and I start school again this August to begin a program to become a paramedic because that’s where I’ve decided my life goal is to really be. :) 
Oh and let me not forget…I have a furry kid named Clover who completes my life. She is a feisty two year old pit/lab mix… who keeps me on my toes every single minute of the day.
