Photography by Denise Beckwith
‘This is, indeed, a brutal story with an equally brutal conclusion. I do fit both labels: “disability from birth” and “acquired disability.” My vision impairment made the violence worse and, in turn, the violence engineered a series of monsters. A ghost, a death wish, was shoved in my body at a very young age. This ghost broke my spirit and is still destroying my body. Things did go full circle. There was indeed a ghost in the machine. This ghost is here for one simple reason: I was never made to feel safe. This is what I had to say.’
– Julie, Canada
‘I have spoken about these issues before, but I have never done so in such a direct and unfiltered manner. I wonder how much a public audience can handle and how direct – if not to say brutal – I can be with my personal story. In the end, will this be perceived and interpreted as a personal vendetta? Will be this be judged as a series of indiscretions? Is this dirty laundry that must not be, at all costs, aired in public? In the end, I cannot filter and control what people want to or can take in. I can only speak out. I have done just that: I spoke out, for my own sake.’
– Julie, Canada