An Indomitable Spirit

“To all the children still hiding in the shadows suffering from what I was fortunate to escape—May an angel find you and carry you away soon.”  - Jasmine Millwood, Unbreakable

It is not a habit of mine to awake at 6 a.m. on a weekend morning, so when my alarm blared bright and early on Sunday, it was a serious struggle not to ignore it.  But, I fought the desire to roll back over, forced down some coffee and toast, and headed to our peaceful downtown, where the fountain had been dyed blue, and ran the first annual Run for Ribbons 5K in honor of my friend.  

In June, as I ran up the hill in Plymouth Township Park, I listened to David Guetta and Sia’s top hit “Titanium” on repeat as I tried to wrap my thoughts around the last chapters and epilogue of Jasmine Millwood’s book, Unbreakable.  Sprinting in the blazing sun, I recalled the words of the social workers and doctors in those final chapters and felt chills as I listened to Sia sing (okay, scream):

“I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose.  Fire away, fire away.” 

Chapter after chapter of Jasmine’s memoir, Unbreakable, describe the beatings, starvation, and mind tricks inflicted on Jasmine and her sisters during the two years they lived in the home of their biological father and step-mother in Brighton, Michigan.  A social worker’s report at the end of the book reveals that when Jasmine and her sisters were removed from their abusive home, at ten years old, Jasmine weighed only 52 pounds.  The epilogue, written by Dr. John Farrar, answered the questions I couldn’t dare articulate as I read: (1) How were Jasmine and her sisters still alive? and (2) How are Jasmine, Camai, and Fawna such positive functioning members of society?  

Dr. Farrar attributes Jasmine and her sisters’ survival to an unexplainable “indomitable spirit.” “They are referred to as ‘invulnerables.’ These individuals might be described as ‘bulletproof,’ as ‘Teflon people,’ or just simply survivors.”  The answer is as haunting as Sia’s lyrics.

As Jasmine blew the gun horn to begin the race on Sunday, I funneled underneath the arc of balloons along with 400+ runners and felt the “indomitable spirit” Dr. Farrar was referring to. 

The chills returned.  And Sia sang, “You shoot me down, but I get up.” 

Jasmine is fighting back.  Fighting back on behalf of herself.  Fighting back for her sisters.  And fighting for every child who is afraid to tell the secret. 

And whether what got us out of bed on Sunday was Jasmine or the kids, run participants and volunteers alike are helping make preventative measures within our community a reality.  Proceeds from the Run for Ribbons, benefitting Lighthouse Family Charity, will go toward purchasing booklets called, “It’s Okay To Tell,” to be distributed to all fifth graders in the Plymouth-Canton school district.

Thank you for your indominable spirit, Jasmine.  I'm so grateful you are "bulletproof" and have begun your fight back in our community.  (Because no child should have to be "bulletproof" or have to fight back.)

And thanks for getting me out of bed.  I look forward to the 2013 second annual Run for Ribbons 5K.