One Word I Could Never Give Up

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

If someone told me I had to give up every word in my vocabulary except one, I wouldn’t even have to think about it. I know the word I’d hold on to with everything in me: fight.

For me, fight isn’t about violence or aggression. It’s about refusal. Refusal to accept injustice. Refusal to stay silent. Refusal to let my story—or the stories of countless survivors I’ve met—end in defeat.

I fight for victims’ rights.
I fight for my kids to have a better future than my past.
I fight for the little girl inside me who was silenced for far too long.
I fight because every survivor deserves to know they are seen, heard, and valued.

There were moments in my life when giving up seemed easier. Times when I was tired, broken, and overwhelmed by the darkness of what I’d seen and lived through. But in those moments, fight whispered back to me. It reminded me that even the smallest push forward matters. That one voice can create ripples of change.

Fighting doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s showing up to work when you’re emotionally exhausted. Sometimes it’s holding a survivor’s hand and telling them, “I believe you.” Sometimes it’s sitting in front of lawmakers and demanding that they see the humanity in the people their policies affect.

If I gave up that word—fight—I’d be giving up the core of who I am. Because fighting is more than what I do; it’s who I’ve become. It’s the flame that has carried me through trauma, through heartbreak, through doubt, and into purpose.

So, if there’s one word I will never release, it’s this: fight.
Because as long as there are voices silenced by fear, as long as there is injustice, and as long as there is even one survivor who needs to know they’re not alone, my fight will continue.