Minn vittma ta’ stupru, għal mara b’saħħitha u ta’ ispirazzjoni li rebħet il-ġlieda kontra r-riperkussjonijiet li ħalla fuqha l-imrar tal-ħajja. B’entużjażmu lejn il-ġejjini, tinsab għaddejja bl-aħħar tħejjijiet biex tiftaħ kafetterija li għandha sservi ta’ spazju miftuħ u sikur għal nies bi problemi ta’ saħħa mentali.
Din hija l-istorja ta’ Ileana Brown – mara b’dixxendenza Maltija ta’ sebgħa u għoxrin sena li ilha tgħix f’pajjiżna għal dawn l-aħħar għaxar xhur.
F’interivsta ma’ ONE News, marret lura għal meta kellha tlettax-il sena; meta ġiet stuprata mill-maħbub li kellha.
I froze and I felt like I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t fight back, my body just froze and that’s something that was horrible because inside I was screaming but outside I couldn’t physically move.
Ir-riperkussjonijiet kienu kbar. Bid-dmugħ f’għajnejha qalet li ma baqgħetx tafda, u bdiet tħoss li għandha xi ħaġa inqas minn ħaddieħor.
Bdiet tbati mill-ansjetà u d-dipressjoni. Riedet tweġġa’ lilha nnifisha u saħansitra tikkunsidra li tneħħi ħajjitha b’idejha.
I got to the point where even though it was years ago, I’d still get triggers, get nightmares, get flashbacks of what happened. It could be a song, it could be someone touching me, someone brushing past my neck, someone holding my wrist, anything.
Marret għand tabib li rreferiha għall-Crisis Team f’Mater Dei. Servizz ta’ emerġenza għall-persuni li jkunu jridu jagħmlu suwiċidju.
Tawha mediċina biex tikkalmaha u tirrilassaha għal attakki ta’ paniku u ansjetà li kien qed ikollha.
Qalet li bdiet tieħu doża iżjed milli suppost u bdiet tħossha storduta sakemm darba kienet miexja fit-triq u ntlaqtet minn karozza. L-għada kienet id-dar bilqiegħda tħares lejn il-kaxxa tal-pilloli u taħseb biex ittemm ħajjitha. Għarfet li għandha bżonn l-għajnuna. Marret l-Isptar u qalulha tmur Monte Karmeli. U hekk għamlet.
I had a really positive experience from the day I came in to the day I left. I was really honest with them with how I was feeling and they’ve been amazing with the feedback they gave me every time I did something positive, they noticed the change in me and they were constantly following me up while I was here.
Wara aktar minn xahrejn l-isptar bdiet taħdem biex tiftaħ kafetterija b’differenza; bl-isem “A Little Cup of Hope”
Il-Fondazzjoni Richmond bdiet tħarreġ lil dawk li se jkunu impjegati fil-kafetterija biex ilkoll jingħataw taħriġ tal-ewwel għajnuna għal każijiet ta’ saħħa mentali.
It’s really important that other people don’t go through what I’ve been through so I want to be able to give other people like me a voice so that they can be heard, so that their issues can be heard, so that they have someone there to help them through.
