“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” – Martin Luther King Jr That quote has been a mantra of mine for over forty years. It was eight years after his death before I discovered it. The essence of that sentence became a way of life for me much to the chagrin of those closest to me. I am not known for my quiet servitude. I pride myself on my ability to assess a situation through a number of lenses and then take action. If it is something I consider an injustice I am never “silent”. Activism is in my DNA. If those closest to us don’t get why will anybody else? I was 14 years old when my activism career began. It was a combination of internal development ignited by external events. Fourteen is a difficult time in the developmental process of a teenager. With puberty happening and the Limbic System kicking in it is a precarious time for the development of a psychosocial persona. This isn’t restricted to kids in a hospital but something every teenager faces. In the community an angry teen can act out in many ways but you have limited options in a controlled environment like a hospital. You [...] continue the story