Cherilyn’s Inspiring Story

Hi, I’m Cherilyn!

I overcame abuse and a teen pregnancy to graduate near the top of my class as a medical assistant, and become a receptionist and assistant to the vice president of a prestigious company in San Francisco’s financial district, by my very early 20s.

Then old wounds cracked open as my mind struggled with the pressure of living a busy life with as-yet unaddressed trauma, and I received a mental health diagnosis and prescription, along with the assertion that I would be disabled and dependent on pharmaceutical drugs for the rest of my life. Through horrific side effects, multiple suicide attempts, a near-death experience and a 100+ pound weight gain over the following decades, I fought to regain my health and sanity, and reached a turning point when I decided to choose life, and that healing must be possible, (despite apparent evidence to the contrary,) and the repeated grave assertions of supposed authority figures.

I started working again, and began an intense, committed journey to heal what was broken and reclaim my life and power. I eventually lost over 100 pounds, and was finally able to quit the drugs. I took the last pill in 2017 and haven’t looked back since. Healing is not linear, and I have continued to shift, tweak and adjust my habits as growth continues, but my mind is clear now and I have remained more steady and at peace since 2017 than I had been at any time before that. Now I’m finding fulfillment and joy building a community and a business teaching others about health, healing and wellness care.

A lot of websites have “About Us” pages that focus exclusively on their achievements and successes, and that’s great. I’m all about celebrating success and achievements too! But some of the most meaningful achievements are born from hardships, and are not so flashy. I want you to know a little bit about where I’m coming from, because no matter where we might end up together, I want to honor the blood, sweat and tears that I and my most cherished loved ones went through to make that possible, and never forget. Because gratitude, joy and strength are born from that! And I hope my story inspires you too.

The reason, my friend, is that my life completely blew up: my health was devastated, and my hope and light, even my life, dimmed so low that it almost flickered out.

I had suffered chronic abuse as a young child for several years. This led to self-destructive and ungrounded behaviors that partially contributed to a pregnancy at 16 years old. Despite being extremely stressed and somewhat naive, I was mature for my age and ready to begin my life. Sadly my child’s father was not, and the family I could have built with him never materialized.

While I was pregnant, at which time I and the individual who had abused me as a child (who was still in my family’s social circle) were the only people in the world who knew about the abuse; I attempted suicide for the first time. At that point I was also the only one who knew I was pregnant, having taken myself to a clinic to medically confirm it and explore my options, without my parents’ knowledge. My parents had split when I was 13, which greatly contributed to my already high stress level and shaky foundation, putting my father at a distance and necessitating my mother work full-time with two children to support.

The burden of no one else knowing what had happened to me, and feeling that if the very conservative community I was part of knew that I was pregnant, it would be misunderstood; saddened and overwhelmed me so much that one day when I knew the pregnancy would soon have to be faced, one way or another, and not being willing to go through any of the possible paths before me, I went to a drugstore, bought a package of sleeping pills, went to a bathroom stall at a nearby school, took them all, laid down on the cold tile and waited to die. I had tried using a knife on my wrists a week or two before that, in a wooded area nearby, but wasn’t able to cut deeply enough. I hadn’t known it was possible to feel that deeply sad.

When I was still alive in the bathroom stall several hours later, but not feeling well, I went home and ended up in the emergency room, where the doctors informed me that I was pregnant, though I already knew, and at my request kindly told my mother for me in a separate room. The very compassionate doctor was horrified that I didn’t feel safe telling my mother myself, and looked like he had been kicked in the gut. I can still see the look on his face.

I had to drink a very large amount of thick black charcoal sludge, since too much time had passed to pump my stomach, and the toxins were already in my bloodstream. I was very concerned about potential harm I might have caused my baby, because I hadn’t expected us to survive. During the pregnancy I received so much love and support from that same conservative community I mentioned before, and from compassionate mental healthcare professionals, that I began to have hope for the future, and decided to give it my best.

After my child was born healthy (I was nearly 17), I attended medical assisting school, graduated near the top of my class, and then took the extra step to become certified. I managed a chiropractic office for a year and had a promising start as a receptionist and assistant to the vice president of a prestigious company located in San Francisco’s financial district.

I woke up several days later in the hospital, with tubes in my nose and veins, to be told that thanks to having been found in time, they had been able to pump my stomach and save my life. It was a turning point for me. In my heart, I felt that a higher power had intervened on my behalf, and I dared not disrespect that by ever making that choice again. I promised then and there that I would never again raise my hand against the life my Creator had saved. I could not make that promise for myself, but for him I could, and did.

From then on, I dedicated myself to learning all I could about how to heal and recover. By that point, I was disillusioned with the idea that drugs and therapy alone could give me a real semblance of a normal life. I started trying vitamins, minerals and herbs in addition to the drugs I continued taking at the direction of the doctor. I started reading to educate myself about mental health, trauma and healing. I worked on my spiritual life, praying and studying the Scriptures in earnest.

Now, I am beyond thrilled to be building a community and business helping people thrive, having shed the old web of patterns like a cocoon I no longer need. I am so grateful to have shifted my focus outward to make my contribution in the world and teach others some of the lessons I’ve learned, to make their journey a little gentler.

During the worst times, even when bad things were still happening, I was also being taught and guided, loved and supported. The seeds of faith and truth planted in childhood eventually sprouted and blossomed to lead me out of bondage to the abuse cycle. When I did lose faith and hope and totally broke, I was literally rescued, which changed something deep inside me and gave me the motivation to dig deeper.

I am living proof that you can write your own story, no matter how fantastical or far-fetched it might seem, (and no matter who or how many people are telling you it’s impossible!) because we are creators, made in the image of the Creator, and all things are possible when we remember that!

I would really appreciate it if you took a moment to support my work by subscribing to the New View Essentials Blog, or following us on Instagram.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. My prayers and healing intentions are sent out for you every day to find your path to hope, health, love and abundance.