Profound Light: Overcoming Childhood and Adolescent Trauma

Profound Light

Overcoming Childhood and Adolescent Trauma

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2024 Jacob Mundy

v3.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Cover Photo © 2024 Jacob Mundy. All rights reserved - used with permission.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NOTE: The author decided to keep all last names out of this book to protect specific individuals’ identities and privacy, except for one name and the foreword section. Due to certain circumstances, the author had to change some characters’ names altogether additionally.

With certain privacy matters, the author also decided to keep some real locations and full names of places/businesses out of this book.

Dedication

The author dedicates this book to the loving memory of his Aunt Sue, his Grandma Mary, and his Grandpa Loren. Your family and friends both love and miss you.

For anyone suffering from any despair, know that you are never alone, and through light, you find hope and closure and the purpose in your life to keep moving forward.

-Jacob Mundy

Table of Contents

Preface

Foreword (John T.)

Prologue

Setting the Stage

Painful Discovery

First Round

False Hope

Unexpected Terminal

Second Round

At the Edge of Death’s Door

Rough Healing Path

Life Taken Too Soon (Interlude, part 1)

Cloud of Uncertainty

Ray of Light

Tattoo (Interlude, part 2)

Questionable Doubt

What Did Keep Me Alive

Final Closure and Moving Forward

Gift of Life: Special Thanks

About the Author: Jacob Mundy (Longer Bio)

Preface

Whenever I talk to my grandpa on my dad’s side of the family on the phone, I always enjoy hearing the touching words, I’m proud of you, Jacob. My grandpa has not been the only one to tell me this, as many of my beloved family members and friends have reiterated those words to me many times. They all have not said those words just because of my life’s accomplishments, but how I have overcome the severe trauma I endured in my young and adolescent years. They say it because I now stand tall. Even today, I still can recall a few times when a friend of one of my family members learned of my story and expressed similar empathy. After so long, I started asking myself, how can I pass what symbol of hope I have become through my story to others who need a reason to keep pushing on in this challenging life and world?

At the same time, I also wanted to find a way to grow as a cancer and mental health advocate. I wanted to share my story with people outside of my family and friends. When I brainstormed ideas to accomplish both thoughts, it was only a few months after my college graduation and receiving my bachelor’s degree. At first, my mind was blank, so I decided not to overthink it. Instead, I put some thought into it when I was not working at my first out-of-college job. Towards the end of 2021, an idea came to mind.

What if I shoot for the stars and write a memoir about the trauma that I faced throughout the childhood and adolescent years of my life? I would admit, even to myself, that it sounded wild, mainly because I had never worked on a book. However, after carefully thinking about how powerful my story could be to others and the opportunities that could come with working on a book project, and with my passion for storytelling, it sounded like a much better idea.

Before I knew it, I started working on the book development. By January 2022, I had an outline completed. I wrote down enough information on my vision for this project and the outline itself. It took me around eleven months to write the first draft, and I finished it in June 2023. I knew there was no turning back after completing it. I needed to see the entire project entirely through, no matter how extremely painful reverting to those dark memories in my childhood and adolescent years was, and the rest is history.

Foreword (John T.)

June 1999 marked the beginning of a journey, which would forever intertwine the lives of me and Jacob. During this time, the stage was set for a remarkable story of resilience, growth, and the power of human connection. It was during this time that I joined the Illinois Army National Guard. Here I met Jacob’s father.

As our paths converged, I became aware of the challenges Jacob encountered in his early years. Born the previous year, Jacob faced numerous health obstacles. His young life had been marked by adversity. Over the course of the next six years, Jacob’s father and I served side by side, forming a bond forged by shared experiences and a deep sense of camaraderie. Our journey together reached its pinnacle when we embarked on an arduous eighteen-month deployment to Iraq, where we faced the realities and hardships of war together.

In the following years, life took its course. I found myself separated from Jacob’s story, receiving only sporadic updates through his father. However, in 2018 as I embarked on a new endeavor, the launch of the Levitt AMP Music Series, our paths were destined to cross again. Amid organizing this series, we found ourselves in need of additional support. I recalled hearing that Jacob harbored an interest in broadcasting. Seeing the opportunity, I reached out to Jacob, asking if he would be willing to volunteer his time to assist with stage setup and teardown during the concerts.

With unwavering enthusiasm, Jacob eagerly accepted the invitation. During this time, I witnessed the remarkable transformation he had undergone. Now a young man on the cusp of his college years, Jacob displayed a level of maturity, dedication, and resilience that left an indelible impression on me. His commitment and tireless efforts over the course of that year and the next were nothing but extraordinary. As I watched him grow and evolve, I could not help but marvel at the immense strides he had taken.

Jacob’s journey did not end with his college graduation. As a testament to the meaningful connections, a relationship he had forged during his volunteer work at the concerts had blossomed into a job opportunity. Jacob became employed as an editor and photojournalist at a local television station, a feat that would be a significant accomplishment for anyone. Yet, considering the trials and tribulations he had overcome, it was nothing short of a miraculous achievement.

Examining Jacob’s life, one cannot help but recognize the presence of countless miracles that have shaped his path. Still, I am convinced that these miracles were not mere happenstance. Instead, these demonstrated Jacob’s unwavering spirit and his determination to make the most of his life. His unyielding work ethic, kindness, optimism, and capacity for forgiveness have not only touched my own life but are virtues from which we can all learn and grow.

As I pen these words, I hope the story of Jacob Mundy will serve as a source of inspiration and a reminder. We possess the strength to overcome and flourish even in the face of adversity. Jacob’s journey serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of compassion and perseverance.

May the pages that follow illuminate the remarkable life of Jacob Mundy; a life shaped by miracles. May his story inspire us all to embrace the qualities that define his remarkable character.

Prologue

I could feel a funnel of emotions go through my body as my mother and me got off the United Airlines plane at the Memphis International Airport. I was arriving for my yearly checkup for my childhood cancer battle at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Almost every emotion from happiness, excitement, nervousness, and more filled my airway as we walked to the baggie claim area to meet with a St. Jude shuttle bus driver. They would take us to a hotel close to the St. Jude Hospital. This June 2019 visit would be different than my previous checkups, as it would be my final year of regular doctor visits. After this year, I would return to Memphis solely every five years for my St. Jude life study checkups through the St. Jude life study program; a program to study the late effects of treatment while still ensuring the survivor participants that no signs of cancer were found.

I could not be prouder of myself, for I had hopefully reaching the ten-year remission mark of not having Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma mark that year. What I had overcame throughout my life and how I reached my own profound triumph was another unique story in an enormous amount of miracle stories around the world. All were not just related to the St. Jude Hospital. I was happy and excited to return to the place I have always considered a second home since the conclusion of my cancer battles. More importantly, I could not be more excited to once again see the St. Jude Hospital that impacted my life through my childhood cancer battles while seeing some of the staff members that helped me beat cancer. I could not deny though how nervous I became before my first day of appointments over one question. The question being, would I reach the top and be able to go home with the news that no signs of cancerous tumors were found during my checkup?

I had faced so much misfortune, adversity, and uncertainty throughout my childhood and adolescent years. So, I could not help but wonder about that question. My mother has always told me, Life is a rollercoaster; you will have your ups and downs. I cannot deny my mother is not wrong on what she meant through the statement. Still, I wanted my happy ending, and I wanted to find the remaining peace I had found through healing from my trauma. During my childhood and adolescent years, I faced the unbelievable with my two cancer battles. I had endured so many more traumatic battles but fought with every instinct in my body to overcome those barriers.

A few days went by, and it was time for my last appointment before my mother and I headed back home; my dad, who had driven down to be there for me, also headed back home. The last appointment would be simple, as it was basically a regular meeting between us and my life study team to go over the results of the testing. The testing came back all clear, and I was officially a person that was in remission from a life-threatening disease for ten years. The hope, self-resilience, and many other themes I carried with me throughout my traumatic battles of my youth and adolescent years had remained with me.

From that day on, I knew that my journey of healing from the trauma I endured was complete. The Jacob who had gone down a road of destruction through the turmoil of his trauma many years ago was a memory of the past. I gave into the darkness years ago when I found myself breaking down mentally after years of physical and mental battles. I had turned to worse ways to cope with the emotional pain. The weight of enduring the trauma after so long turned into a battle for control over my thoughts and an ultimate struggle to lift me back up from the ground. Nevertheless, now being a cancer survivor and ten years in remission, I reached the top of the mountain and crafted my own extraordinary destiny. I accomplished the nearly impossible tasks of having finished the journey of healing from the trauma I went through all those years.

1

Setting the Stage

Like many, I only remember a small portion of my childhood. However, I still do remember the early part of it. I was born on July 27th, 1998, at the Cottage Hospital in Galesburg, Illinois. My parents, my two older half-sisters, and I lived in a three-bedroom house for most of my early childhood. The house we were in at the time was not the biggest, but it still managed to fit all of us. My older half-brother lived with his mother in a different area. Despite this, my father did whatever he could to ensure we spent as much time together as possible.

My mother took a job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at 19, only switching to a few separate locations over the years. Her first CNA job was at the Marigold nursing home in Galesburg, Illinois, where she met my father, a fellow CNA. Even before they met, my father served with the National Guard part-time a few times a week in addition to his regular CNA job. He wanted to make a difference in his life and exhibited an attitude of giving back to people in despair. He just needed people to know someone was there to lend a helping hand. One of the major benefits of my dad serving in the National Guard was the many lasting friendships he developed with many of his fellow soldiers.

My father has always enjoyed doing woodcraft projects. He would often put them together from scratch, such as little selves, and so on, which became one of our favorite father-son bonding activities. He would bring many creative ideas with the tools he had available to use. Some projects were small, and others were bigger and more challenging, but we still overcame that obstacle every time. The unique part is that he always stayed connected with that creative habit.

For the entirety of my childhood and up until after receiving my bachelor’s degree, I grew up as a town boy, living in a small town about twenty miles from my birthplace. The town we resided in had only a few businesses and no grocery stores. For us, though, the quiet vibe in the town was an upside compared to what it could not offer. One of my family members who lived in the town was the owner of a successful food business. Her restaurant became a popular place for my family and other residents living in the town to eat at. One of the ways to kill time was to go to the town’s small bowling alley, which became a popular activity for me and my family. For movie nights, we went to the