"…It was these awakenings that began to feed my spirit."

When I began my healing journey on the red road, I had a lot of questions of why. Why me Creator? Why were these experiences brought to me? Why am I HIV positive?

In the beginning, I was faced with fierce resentment and deep shame. I couldn’t understand what the pain was trying to teach me.

It was when I began to journey to the light of hope and resilience that I was given opportunities to share my life and use my experiences as tools to empower Indigenous communities. Presenting my work on international platforms, bringing young people into ceremony—taking the darkest parts of my life and using them to educate others—it was these awakenings that began to feed my spirit. In these moments, my eyes were opened to see that everything I had endured and survived was for a purpose.

In these moments, I felt the power of my ancestors as they whispered to me, “This is why”.