These emails you all send me never cease to surprise me, inspire me or make me smile!

At a time where it is very hard to be on the road because there is someone special and new whom I miss a lot and I have been on the road for months and I months it is the countless messages like this one that give me the boost to keep going!

Hi Kevin, my name is —— and I was at the presentation at Bert Church High School on May 9th. I hope I’m not keeping you awake because you’re busy reading all of these emails.

I just wanted to tell you how truly inspirational and empowering I found your speech to be. It truly touched my heart, and unlocked feelings that I had been holding secret for a long time.

About three years ago, a friend of mine, her name was —— was killed in a car accident caused by drunk driving. A close friend of hers was in the truck with her also, and her boyfriend was driving. They swerved off and down an embankment. She flew through the windshield and was killed on impact because she was not wearing a seatbelt.

Even though I did not know her as well as I used to, the impact was staggering. I cried for days; it was difficult to come to terms with the fact that a life that was so fragile, and so young was taken so suddenly, and all because of one bad decision.

When you were talking about how difficult it was for you, and your family, and everyone else around you to accept what had happened, I felt as though I could relate somehow to your feelings. A massive wave of grief came over me during the presentation, and suddenly I realized that I could not keep all of my feelings bottled anymore, and I broke down into tears. When everyone in the theater stood up for a standing ovation the energy was so powerful; For a moment I realized that I was not alone in this struggle to find peace among the wreckage.

You reminded me to appreciate what I take for granted in my life. I thought about everything that I do in my day that seems so simple, walking to school (and how much I hate the climb up the hill), washing my hair in the shower, being able to get dressed, and most of all– being able to wiggle my toes. Wiggling my toes has become a part of my daily routine now. Whenever I feel stressed, or like I’m acting like a spoiled brat! I just wiggle them, and it brings me right back down to earth. (And thank God for that).

The speech also taught me about being patient, understanding and showing appreciation when it comes to the people who are in my life. Before now, I didn’t even consider the fact that they could slip away in the blink of an eye.

Appreciation is what it takes for a person to have
no regrets when everything does come to an end. I promise that I won’t ever get behind the wheel of a car after I’ve been drinking, and I plan to volunteer to be designated driver, hahah– I just want to see my friends get tucked into their beds safe and sound. I promise that I’ll help my mom more, and treat my boyfriend like gold, and appreciate all he does for me.

Thank you again, Kevin. We’d love to have you come back to Bert Church! You’re welcome anytime you’d like to stop by

P.S. I’m still wiggling!

… And this why I do what I do. Thanks so much to the author of this email. Thanks to every single other person out there who writes me, shakes my hand, hugs me, shares a story with me and just shows me that you appreciate my words, my time and my messages.

You make it worth while!!

Sincerely,

Kevin Brooks

Here is yet another inspiring story by an inspiring young person I have met in my travels speaking…

Dear Kevin Brooks,

I have a story for you when you have a moment (ha ha). It’s my story, featuring your story (because like you, I’m so creative with titles).

For the past few months, I was skirting an eating disorder. Even when it was happening, I could see it. Whenever I picked up packaged food, I’d glance at the calorie count. Some days, it would just be a habit, not really anything that mattered. But some days, those numbers would add up. And, no pun intended, it would eat away at me. Those were bad days. Usually they followed fights with my Mom. I was aware, I saw it. I knew I wanted control, because my Mom’s Stage 4 cancer left us all reeling even a year later and my boyfriend’s out-of-the-blue breakup left me believing I could not be anything but ugly.

You woke me up with your talk. When I saw you in a wheelchair, and you talked about all the things you couldn’t do that we took for granted, it made me wonder why I chose to abuse my own body, what made me believe that it was okay. You helped me realize that my body is precious, not a guaranteed deal at all. My counselor had said a similar thing about respecting my body when I confided in her regarding how dangerously close to anorexia my behaviour was. It took you sitting there in your chair to show me things needed to change.

I was crying because I felt your story and I was crying because I felt mine.

You also helped me with my Mom. We would fight every day, because she wanted to be right and I wanted to be heard. You told us about a girl who made up with her Mom after hearing you speak, and I thought that could never be me. I did something different. I told my Dad. He listened. I feel a lightness I never felt from not eating because it has nothing to do with my weight.
This is what I just wrote to my counselor 15 minutes ago when I realized I had to tell you all this:

“I didn’t even know how heavy I was until I wasn’t heavy anymore. Maybe that’s why I wanted to be so skinny.”

Now, if it smells good, I eat it. If it tastes good, even better. I’m trying to stop looking at the side of the box. It’s a process. But I’m working on it. I never stopped loving food.

So thanks.
Because I feel weightless.
-Kiera

THANK YOU Kiera…  Your remarkable story will inspire others facing similar challenges as you. 

If you are inspired by Kiera’s story please leave a comment and  commend this young girl’s courage and strength.

Wiggle Your Toes

Kevin