"The Total Sum." We all are who we are today from yesterday's struggles. Let's try something real quick, a bit of "what if" and how do you think the story would end? Not quoting any statistics or case studies here, because, believe it or not, more than half of you have been thru this. Imagine growing up in a household where, as a child, you experience verbal and emotional abuse by those who were supposed to protect you. No doubt this can be quite a traumatic way to live, to grow up and exist. KD always looked deeper into things. There were some underlying issues before the abuse began. That's not to say it's defending the act, but it is spotlighting a very serious issue instead. Mental health and illness is a subject nowadays that seems to escape the focus of many and it doesn't matter what color, race, gender or lifestyle. It is hardly ever addressed and it becomes the ugly beast that affects all people in one way or another. KD speaks of it as a beast and a problem because of its everlasting effects on young and old minds. It destroys the foundation of a happy and prosperous life. So dig deep inside yourself. Wonder how it would feel growing up in a world where you are made to feel like you are the enemy, the problem and the issue. They say our backgrounds and family life most times determine our future, our trends, like the old saying, "It runs in the family." These instances are guaranteed to have been deemed true most times, but in this case, that cycle was broken. After years of verbal abuse and a saving grace in the form of her grandmother and aunt, KD foiled the future predictions that were spoken over her, "Never gonna amount to anything," "I hate you." From before the beginning, the abuse went on and on. There are many who have gone thru the same, if not a worse course of events in their lives, being spoken against and defamed for being unwanted, being a love child. Unfortunately, there are millions of young boys and girls who have lived this horror and have not been able to rise above it, but let KD share with you a story of promise and hope. "The Climb: Life, Mountains of Struggles and How I Overcame Them"