The Weight of Hidden Wounds

The Weight of Hidden Wounds follows the journey of Dani Shine-a 50-year-old Army veteranwho has spent decades burying her combat trauma, sexual assaults, failed marriage, andsuicidal thoughts. When her 15-year-old child, Ashten, confesses their own suicidal ideation,Dani's carefully controlled world cracks open. Determined to save her child, she must finallyface the wounds she has spent a lifetime outrunning.Growing up without the means to attend college, Dani enlisted in the Army hoping the GI Billwould open new opportunities. Instead, basic training brought an attempted rape, followed byanother assault in Germany. Deployment to Saudi Arabia exposed her to nightly bombings,casualties, and constant fear. Though her squad leader, Sergeant Gomez, vowed to protect her,he raped her upon their return to the U.S. Isolated and traumatized, Dani locked her memoriesaway.After earning a nursing degree, she married Gary-an ex-Army sniper-and welcomed theirchild, Ashten. Gary's infidelity ended the marriage, and with the help of her best friend'shusband, she moved to Bend, Oregon, to rebuild her life near family. She remarried, worked asa nurse, and tried to project stability while internally she spiraled-turning to food instead ofalcohol to numb the pain.Ashten, meanwhile, was battling anxiety, depression, and ADHD. When Dani admitted her ownsuicidal thoughts, she entered a three-month inpatient trauma recovery program for womenveterans. Partially healed but emotionally raw, she returned home to discover that Ashten wasalso suffering in silence. When Ashten disclosed a sexual assault, Dani was finally forced toconfront the horrors of her own past.Mother and child embarked on parallel healing journeys-through counseling, medication,support groups, and hard conversations. Ashten began embracing their gender identity andsexuality. Dani confronted her buried trauma, her 298-pound body, and the ways she hadabandoned herself. Committed to full transformation, she underwent bariatric surgery and lost150 pounds.Physically lighter and spiritually renewed, Dani began sharing her story publicly-speaking atveteran groups, women's recovery programs, and high school assemblies. Her testimony ofresilience drew media attention and became a lifeline to others suffering in silence.At its heart, The Weight of Hidden Wounds is a story of redemption-how a female soldierreclaimed her voice, her faith, and her purpose, and how breaking her silence helped save herchild's life as well as her own. This memoir offers hope to anyone battling trauma, shame, ordespair, showing that with courage, community, and God's healing, a new life is possible.

Pagina's: 266, Paperback, Danielle Shine