FROM PAIN TO PURPOSE. 3 Lessons from the life of the lady who lived with her intestine outside her abdomen for 3 years.

Hi guys, It's been a while I put up something here. I've been really occupied lately but I had to share this. So the other day, I came across a story. It's about a lady by the name Takeyiah Reaves.

Her story is inspiring because its an example of what I call"Pain to Purpose." She turned around her story by finding purpose in an unpleasant experience she had.

She was a victim of a stray bullet and she was (I don't want to say lucky) privileged by God to survive. And since her recovery, she has been involved with two nonprofit organizations: Bullets 4 Life and Wounded but Alive 

 

Bullets 4 Life takes live bullets off the streets and repurposes them into jewelry for survivors or loved ones of survivors, and Wounded But Alive is a support group for female survivors of gun violence.

She says, “I want to be known for helping people grow through things I had to go through alone, I want to spread love across the world, especially at times like this when there is so much hurt and pain."

Many of us have gone through, and probably going through some experiences right now that are not so pleasant but I would like to note that, rather than feel bitter and angry, we should be grateful and understand that, no matter how bad the experience is, God would not allow something to happen to you that is not intended to make you better. God has a plan, and many times some of the bad experiences we face are part of God’s plan, and they often serve as a catalyst toward realizing our purpose.

Here's the full story.

On July 9, 2017, Takeyiah Reaves went out with her friends to a nightclub in Newark, New Jersey. She stood at the doorway of the club. And suddenly, she was caught in the crossfire of a random shooting.

She was shot once in the right leg and once in the abdomen, resulting in life-threatening injuries. At the ER, doctors were able to tie off a vein and save her leg. But her abdominal injury was a lot tougher to repair. The bullet shattered inside Reaves’ stomach and caused so much damage, she’s had to live with her intestines outside of her abdomen for three years—protected only by a temporary lining that doctors created out of skin grafted from her thighs.

Since that night, Reaves has endured several surgeries to fix the damage, putting her life at risk each time. “I have over 50 scars on my body from all the surgeries.” She says.

She has finally undergone an operation that put her intestines back into her abdomen and the surgery was a success.

She had to deal with so many obstacles, like learning how to walk and talk again, she couldn't walk too far or fast. She couldn't carry heavy things or stand too long because her legs will begin to ache. She gets tired easily, feels dizzy and if she stands up she feels like she's going to pass out. She also said she became lactose intolerant because of the injury. I don't know what that means.😃

Reaves feels like the attack has deprived her of her youth. “I feel like my body is so old at times because I still go through so much pain,” she says. The effects aren’t only physical. She lost 4.5 liters of blood when she was shot and had to get 21 units in blood transfusions, which she believes has affected her memory. “I’m very forgetful, which my doctor said might be linked to the transfusions,” she says.

She was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Obviously, this kind of experience will be traumatizing. She began to live in fear. She said every time she sits by a window she's thinking, "What if a stray bullet comes through?"

Despite the fear, Reaves says she hasn’t been to therapy; she copes by putting her “faith before any fear” and tries to look for the positives in her situation. “God didn’t share a miracle to spare my life to take it away, and my journey is just beginning,” she says. After the attack, she went back to college and graduated with an associate degree in social sciences in 2019.

She said she wants to be a social worker and an advocate for children who lack mentors, encouraging them to strive and be the best they can be. Now, here's the inspiring part. Because of her experience, she is now using her voice to help prevent gun violence. “I’m completely against guns being legal. I want to see them taken off the streets completely,” she says. “Lives are still being taken by gun violence—the lives of daughters, sons, mothers, and fathers." 

Like I said earlier, she is now involved with two nonprofit organizations. Bullets 4 Life which takes live bullets off the streets and repurposes them into jewelry for survivors or loved ones of survivors, and the support group for female survivors of gun violence- Wounded but alive. 

Here's what I want us to learn from this lady.

1. It's remarkable how she was able to turn to move past her unfortunate experience and begin a movement against that violence that almost took her life. There is no greater comfort to someone who is suffering than seeing another person who has experienced what they are experiencing, lived the life and survived, and is willing to take their hand and guide them out of that same experience.

2. Bad experiences aren't totally bad afterward. The truth is, that there is always some good in every bad experience. Someone's unfortunate experience often leads to the fortune of another.

3. She put her faith before her fear. Despite the fact that she became very afraid after the experience, having nightmares after nightmares, she believed that the God who spared her life will not allow her to die just like that.

Think about this: What if the worst thing you ever went through was a gift in disguise from God? What if you weren’t meant to understand till later? What if the loneliness you have endured, the failed business, or breakups that made you afraid to love again, a sickness that broke your spirit, or the loved one you tragically lost, was really a divine intervention all along specifically intended to prepare you for a powerful role liberating others? What if God handpicked you to make a difference? What if those experiences were to prepare you for your assignment?

If there’s a painful memory you can’t erase, instead of letting it consume you, turn your pain into purpose. Find a way to help others going through the same thing, and it will help you heal, too. Don’t give up. 

 

You may find it helpful to research others who have turned their pain into purpose also. There are lots of people just like you, who took something awful that happened to them and used it to change the world. You can also join us on The MEDUTAINERS Network, (if you haven't joined already) We are a group of interconnected people who interact virtually to exchange ideas and develop professional and social contacts and relationships, and every Wednesday, we have a session called "Behind The Bright Faces" where we share the biography of popular people in different fields of life and learn from their life experiences. It's a WhatsApp platform and you can join here. 

I hope I was right to think this would bless you? If this was worth it, let me know in the comment, and also share this article with at least three persons. This really isn't about getting more visitors to this blog, rather, it is about helping people learn from the lives of others and transforming their lives through that knowledge. Thank you for sharing.

You can check Reaves out on Instagram @takieyahreaves and you can see a video of her stomach here there.