“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