27 Aug Broken Bones: Why I’m Ready to Share the Story So Far
Broken Bones: Why I Want to Share the Story So Far
When I launched Broken Bones last year, I believed I was bringing my story to a conclusion.
I had finally put into words the experiences I had carried within me for more than 61 years.
For so long, what happened to me was not spoken about. As a child, I was made to keep quiet, and if I did speak about it, I was made to feel as though I had done something wrong. By writing Broken Bones, I began to take back my story and tell it in my own words.
Writing and publishing the book took courage, although I did not recognise it as courage at the time. I certainly would not have given my actions that title.
It meant returning to painful memories, facing truths I had spent much of my life trying to survive and allowing myself to be seen in a way I had never experienced before.
I had normalised my past. Looking back, I think that was how I learned to cope with it. The trauma began when I was so young that I did not know what life felt like without it.
I did not understand how deeply rooted that trauma was or how much it had shaped the person I became.
I thought publishing Broken Bones would be the end of that chapter.
Instead, it became the beginning of an entirely new one.
The story continued after the final page
So much has happened since Broken Bones was published.
New truths have come to light, including devastating details recorded by my auntie. I have discovered things about my childhood that I did not fully know or understand when I wrote the book.
These discoveries have not been easy to process. However, they have helped me see my story more clearly.
They have given me a deeper understanding of what happened to me and why certain feelings, patterns and ways of coping stayed with me for so long.
At the same time, extraordinary people have entered my life. Some have supported me personally, while others have helped me see my experiences from a completely different perspective.
I have had conversations I never expected to have and made connections that have changed my life.
That is one of the reasons I want to hold Broken Bones: The Story So Far. There is now so much more to share than I could fit between the pages of the original book.
Understanding the impact of trauma
For most of my life, I was fighting to survive, but I did not realise that was what I was doing.
Trauma was my reality. It was all I had ever known.
Being constantly alert, putting everyone else’s needs before my own, expecting something to go wrong and pushing through exhaustion all felt normal to me.
I did not recognise these things as survival responses. I believed they were simply part of who I was.
Since publishing Broken Bones, I have received treatment that has helped me understand and process my past in a new way.
Healing has not changed what happened to me. However, it has changed the way I understand it and how I carry it.
I have begun to realise that my dad’s behaviour was never mine to own. His actions were not a reflection of my worth, and the shame was never mine to keep.
That realisation has been incredibly powerful.
Why I want to hold this event
I do not want this evening to be simply another book launch.
I want it to be a real, open and honest conversation.
I want to share what happened after Broken Bones was published: the new discoveries, the treatment, the relationships, the difficult moments and the unexpected opportunities that followed.
I also want people to have the chance to ask genuine questions.
Too often, conversations about childhood abuse and trauma take place behind closed doors. People worry about saying the wrong thing, asking the wrong question or making somebody feel uncomfortable.
At this event, nothing is off limits, and no genuine question is out of bounds.
I believe honest conversations create understanding. They can help people feel less alone and allow others to recognise that healing and change are possible.
This will not be a heavy evening
Although my story includes painful experiences, Broken Bones: The Story So Far will not be an evening filled only with sadness.
It will be warm, uplifting and full of hope.
There will be wine, nibbles, conversation and laughter. Most importantly, there will be connection.
I want to celebrate how far I have come and recognise the people who have walked alongside me.
I also want to celebrate the extraordinary difference that one decision can make.
My decision was to tell my story.
I could never have imagined where that choice would lead me, who it would bring into my life or how much it would help me understand about myself.
It is never too late to choose differently
One of the most important lessons I have learned is that our past may shape us, but it does not have to define our future.
For many years, I believed my value came from what I could do for other people. Healing has taught me that my worth is not measured by how much I do, how much I give or how well I hide what I am feeling.
I do not have to earn the right to rest, to be heard or to be cared for.
Neither do you.
Perhaps you have spent years carrying something that was never yours to keep. Maybe you have wondered whether it is too late to change, to heal, to speak your truth or to choose a different future.
It is not too late.
Change cannot erase the past, but it can change the direction of your story.
Come and hear what happened next
Broken Bones: The Story So Far is my opportunity to share the next part of my journey honestly and openly.
It is for those who have read the book and would like to know what happened next. It is also for those who have not read it but connect with its message of courage, healing and choice.
You do not need to have experienced childhood trauma to attend. You may be supporting somebody you care about, interested in understanding trauma or simply drawn to stories that remind us what people can survive and overcome.
Come for the story, the conversation, the wine and the nibbles.
Come and celebrate the people who helped make a difference.
Most of all, come and leave inspired by what can become possible when we find the courage to tell the truth and begin writing the next chapter.
Book your place for Broken Bones: The Story So Far
I would love to see you there.
Frances x