Almost immediately after Ready to Heal was posted, my Facebook inbox was flooded with messages. Numerous women sent me messages telling me their stories, unfortunately about rape. Friends, acquaintances, even strangers of all ages reached out to me, telling me their horrible experiences which were all different. For some of these women, this was the first time they had divulged this to anyone.This confirmed my statement from the article, “I want people to know that this happens, to way more people than they think because many can never talk about it.”

For almost three days straight, I was reading people’s messages, with tears filling my eyes and a sharp pain in my chest. I was honored to know that these brave women had the courage to speak to me about such an intimate and heart-breaking experience. I was blown away by the response.

When I first received the email informing me that my article was published, I felt nauseous. My stomach was in knots while sitting in class. I had no idea what people would think. Everyone was about to know. I texted my sister and best friend asking them to read it. I needed justification. I needed to know if it was “too much.”

Then came the deluge of messages. Even though every message I read contained a different story, they all had a common motif. They were all thanking me for sharing and showing me support. They all thanked me for being the voice for them; the one they could never use to speak up.

I didn’t know how writing this article would make me feel. I didn’t know how it would help me heal. I thought I would give it a try. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I have never felt so much support and love from my community before. If this isn’t healing, I don’t know what is.

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I just returned from a mission trip to Magdalena, Guatemala; I was a Spanish translator for a medical team for Love Guatemala mission. Together, we were a group of nine women, consisting of lactation consultants, nurses, a pediatrician, a licensed midwife, interns and me, a translator. Along with the people of the Love Guatemala mission, we set up medical clinics everyday and performed home visits.

We provided healthcare and medications for pregnant women, women who recently gave birth, or women who had children.I mostly worked alongside the midwife, translating for her. We also worked with a wonderful Guatemalan women from the mission who wanted to learn more about midwifery. We would go through all the patients' medical history, ask how their pregnancy was going; feel around their bellies to locate their uterus and the position of their babies; listen to their baby’s heartbeat through a small ultrasound device; examine them for abnormalities; diagnose any problems they were experiencing; then take them to our makeshift pharmacy to provide them with medication. I did not know what to expect from this trip, but it proved to be one of the most fulfilling, peaceful, and amazing experiences of my life.

I was nervous that my Spanish would not be up to par. I had to immediately get past this fear. The first day we arrived, we went on a home visit to a woman whose son had chronic health issues and I was asked to translate her seemingly unending story of his difficult medical history. Feeling put on the spot and not ready, I tried my hardest to communicate her story in full. I was translating for the team, but mostly so the pediatrician was able to fully understand and grasp the situation and hopefully diagnose the boy. After this visit, I realized that I was going to be translating a lot of information throughout this trip. Some of it would be medical terminology that I had never used in Spanish before. I had to get creative.

I was translating every single day, sometimes for hours on end. I had no idea how exhausted this would make me feel. When I speak Spanish and English one after the other and hear both languages spoken simultaneously, it’s like I have to turn a switch on and off in my brain. It takes a great deal of effort at times. By the end of the day, my brain would be yearning for a good night’s sleep.

But when I would wake up the next morning, I was ready to do it all over again! It was such a privilege to connect with and help these women. I loved being able to use my skill and contribute something good when I didn’t have a medical background to offer.

It was amazing to be the connector between people who couldn’t communicate verbally with one other. Once again, I was thanked for being a voice. I was a voice for people who couldn’t use their own effectively.

It was even more amazing to use my voice to empower women. Countless women we examined had cesarean sections from previous pregnancies. Many women we saw only got c-sections simply because the doctor suggested it (for reasons that are beyond me) or because it seemed to be the norm for many women there. (Once again, I was surprised by this.) We began to get the sense that many women wished to have normal, vaginal births. The midwife I worked with began asking me to tell the women to ask questions, to realize that they had the choice of where and how to have their child. The women could have their baby at home or in a hospital. We began teaching patients that a woman’s body is made to have babies. I began informing them that they were perfectly capable of having a vaginal birth and that if they wanted to, it was their decision to make. Slowly but surely, the women’s faces began to beam with confidence and pride. They loved hearing and acknowledging that they were strong and able.

Writing this article and then going on this trip made me realize something--I want to be a voice. I want to be a voice for women. I see this as a blessing. Now that I am getting ready to graduate, I know what direction I want to go. I've begun looking for jobs at women’s shelters, advocacy offices, careers in which I can use my public speaking skills to help empower women in more ways.

I feel lifted up by everyone’s support. I feel sure of what I want to be doing. This past month has provided me with so much peace and reassurance. Even after such a dire event in my life, I’ve been able to find hope. And I want to thank all who read, shared and spoke up about my last article. I would also like to thank the women of Guatemala for providing me with such a valuable experience.

My voice is immensely important to me and I will continue to utilize it to better others' lives, as well as my own.