A Journey Home: A Survivor's Story of Resilience and Strength
Written by: Carrie Archey
Fifi with the children of her village.
I want to share an inspiring success story from safe S.E.A.T. in the moonlight. In 2017, I was asked to talk with a young survivor named Fifi. Fifi was born in Africa and came to the United States with her father and sister when she was 10 years old. She had already suffered tremendous abuse in her home country. Unfortunately, the abuse continued even after arriving here. She started working at a very young age while also going to school. After enduring immeasurable abuse and neglect, her mental health suffered greatly.
Because of the cultural differences surrounding mental health, Fifi didn’t know what depression, anxiety, and trauma were. She felt she deserved this hard life and that it was her fault. One day a teacher noticed that Fifi was having a hard time being mentally and emotionally present and asked Fifi if she could help her. Through a channel of great people, Fifi was connected to The Invisible Hand Foundation, which is a foundation that helps people in need, but the help is given anonymously. The Invisible Hand Foundation reached out to me and asked if I could meet with Fifi and see if I could gain her trust and see if she would be open to therapy.
Fifi said, “At the time, I didn't know what therapy was, or that it could even be helpful. I didn’t know what I would have to do to see Marirose. I went to [Marirose] and after a long time I told her what I had gone through and how I struggled every day. In time, I started feeling better, but I still felt a weight and shame. Marirose told me to just keep coming back and time would ease the pain I felt in my heart”.
In spite of going through repeated traumatic events, Fifi still graduated from high school, and went on to graduate college. While in college, Fifi struggled with working and going to school full time and had more trauma to face. Even though Fifi had many successes throughout her life, she never felt worthy enough to recognize and accept them. Like anyone working on healing from trauma, Fifi felt that she had failed at “getting better”. Fifi worked hard to face the brutality that had been her life, and face it she did. She is one of the bravest people I know. I told Fifi that what I saw in her was a strong, resilient young woman who spent every Sunday volunteering to help youth in need, who continued working while going to college, and a Homecoming Queen.
Fifi began to feel the weight lift even more.
After graduating college, Fifi fulfilled her dream of moving to Atlanta. She got a job working with adults with developmental difficulties and also started a small business. Her hope was to make enough money to return to her country to see her mother and share with her all of the pain and suffering she had to face as a little girl. Her mother listened with kindness and sadness.
Fifi had another mission when she returned home, to pay for a well to be built within her village, so her people didn’t have to walk for miles to get clean water. Fifi was successful. She was finally able to return home to Africa to see her mother and she had the well built. Now, her people will have immediate access to clean water.
When she returned to the U.S., Fifi said, “[Marirose], I’m so grateful for you! You have given me hope in life. I feel healed now. [This] wouldn’t be possible without you! Thank you for blessing me and my people.”
Life dealt FIfi one of the hardest hands, yet she chose to trust people to help her and believed that things would get better; someone who has been so badly hurt but chose to do something so monumental for her people. She is a woman with powerful resilience. I am proud to know her and am constantly inspired by her.
Fif’s Graduation!