My story, My truth, My testimony...

HI, I am Shyanne Diels I sometimes go by Autum (my middle name) this is My Story, My Truth, My Testimony.

My life has been full of ups and downs, and it starts with how I became. My mom got pregnant with me by force my dad wasn't a good man (I wont tell her story not mine to tell) I am her 4th in the birth line. I was born March 1st 2007 via emergency c-section because my heart stopped In every hospital photo you see of me there is wires everywhere my arms.legs my head. I have brain damage I have some dead spots on my brain. not everyone believes me when I say it but I trust what my neurologist tells me is true. But from that day God new I had to stay he had a plan for me! So my little body fought and fought and even though it did and I am alive today my life hasn't been easy one bit. 

Around 3 years old I remember walking into a busy street on my way to pick up my brother and cousin's from school. That day changed my life. After the accident of walking across the street (thank gosh my mom caught me before anything bad happened. I had an absence seizure but we didn't know it at the time)  , I was diagnosed with epilepsy, and nothing was ever the same. Growing up as the only girl out of six kids, I often felt neglected by my mom. There were moments when it seemed like I didn’t matter, and those feelings weighed heavy on me.

High school hit hard. Freshman year was a nightmare—seizure after seizure, every day. People called me "seizure girl," Between the nicknames and the people saying I was faking my seizures, I started cutting, trying to end the pain. On top of that, I watched my mom suffer abuse from her then-husband every night. It was too much. Right after freshman year, I left my mom’s house and bounced from relative to relative—my brother’s house, my cousin’s place, and eventually, four hours away to my aunt and uncle’s house. it was fun at first I was free I had friends, an amazing boyfriend that I still think about to this day.

That’s when things got darker. While living with my aunt and uncle, I was assaulted by my uncle for months. It broke me in ways I didn’t understand. To cope, I started drinking—beer at first, then vodka mixes. and something called a 'jolly rancher' (all provided by them never alone when I did it)  I wasn’t myself anymore. The happy, smart, funny no drama girl people once knew was gone, replaced by someone full of hurt and trauma. I lost so many good people during that time—friends from Ogema and Tomah, and I hated who I had become.

After months of abuse, I finally found the courage to tell my gym teacher what was happening. That moment changed everything. I was taken out of the house and placed into foster care at 15, in the middle of the night. My foster parents were unlike anything I expected. One was a substitute teacher, and the other, a pastor. At first, I thought I would hate it—I didn’t know God, and I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to. I mean a guy so great he can make a whole universe in a week along with animal's and 2 humans but he couldn't stop are pain and suffering why would I want to believe in someone like him? But God had other plans for me amazing plans at that.

My month in foster care, I was a medical mess—seizures left and right, my knee was acting up, and I felt like a burden. But we prayed. We prayed through it all. Slowly, I began to turn toward God. I had my last seizure on February 14, (I was back with my mom by then and we were homeless living in a motel room) and since then, I’ve been seizure- and medication-free. It’s nothing short of a miracle.

I used to think I knew God. I was baptized in 4th grade because my brother was a missionary, and it felt like something I had to do. I had a godmother who took me to church all through elementary school, and I loved her for it. But it wasn’t until I met my foster parents—the Price family—that I really found God. They showed me what it meant to truly lean on Him, to trust His plan, even when everything felt impossible. 

That was three Christmases ago. Now, I’m almost 18, and while I’m still healing, I’ve learned to trust God completely. I’m not saying every day is easy—far from it. I struggle daily. But I know I’m not alone. I have God by my side, and I have the Prices to support me. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and excited to see where God takes me next.

I have great plans for life now. happy ones and I want to live I'm glad none of my attempts to take my life worked I never thought I'd say this ever ever in my life before but I am so happy to be alive.

trust in God and always keep fighting. God bless you all - Shyanne Diels