Learning to Survive: Finding Strength in a Life That Tried Break Me: 1

How much is a child worth?In Wayne George's case, fifty dollars.His mother was addicted to drugs. She did not know who his father was. He grew up surrounded by poverty, instability, abandonment, violence, and adults who were often fighting demons of their own. Before Wayne was old enough to understand what survival meant, he was already learning how to do it.Learning to Survive is the raw, deeply personal story of a boy who moved through abuse, neglect, hunger, anger, and chaos while searching for something steady enough to hold on to. Along the way, his grandparents, teachers, coaches, football, discipline, and eventually the United States Navy gave him reasons to keep moving.This is not a story about pretending trauma disappears. It is about what happens when a person refuses to let what was done to him decide who he becomes.From a 1.29 GPA and nearly dropping out of high school to rebuilding his future, becoming a father, serving his country, and eventually leading at the highest levels of the enlisted military, Wayne's story is about resilience, accountability, breaking cycles, and making the next right decision.Learning to Survive is for anyone who has ever wondered whether their beginning has to determine their ending.