I had written my memoir later in life but there aren’t too many things I regret about the past.

I know sometimes just being more comfortable with myself the way I am gives me a more secure feeling on the inside and because of God and spirituality. I am not an island in of myself but I am a person whose identity is very secure. I see myself through different eyes now that I’m older. I remember being a little girl and being bullied but my childhood was sufficient for me. I want other people out there with similar struggles to know mental illnesses are real illnesses. People may not be able to see your illness but that doesn’t make your illness any less real in the way your illness effects you. I had some rough experiences but I come from a large extended family and as a child the one thing I remember getting compliments on was my name. Friends would tell me I was a pretty little black girl too and they’d tell me they liked my name. My name is Ayesha Karim. My name always made me feel special as a child. It is a very unique name too. I know few people in the world with my name.