Six years ago today, Naseem Rochette was crossing the street in her suburban hometown in New Jersey.
Rochette considered herself lucky.
Since the accident, Rochette has reclaimed the day of May 21 in what she calls Unbreakable Day.
Naseem Rochette
Its hard to appreciate milestones and victories without knowing where the journey started.
How soon after your incident did you start writing your story?
I had no idea what that meant, and, to be honest, that really stressed me out!
However, I did decide early on that I wanted to do something.
I started writing down the things I learned.
How have you maintained an optimism throughout this experience?
I wanted a happy story, and I was set on finding that.
That belief kept me going then and still does.
Lessons I was fortunate to learn and never want to forget.
How the writing process was an aid in your recovery?
It was an intriguing process to write the book.
After I committed to it, I finished most of it in a matter of weeks.
Deciding what was interesting and relevant to the story required a lot of introspection (writing and revising!
What’s been the most surprising outcome of this journey?
I am amazed and delighted by how much sharing my difficulties, achievements, and insights has helped others.
What has been the feedback of sharing your story?
What are your future plans?
Tell us about what you’ve dubbed as Unbreakable Day.
Not something to hide or judge.
Just recognition that we all have cracks of some kind.
Even if we are still on the journeywe can celebrate progress.
Recovery doesn’t happen in a day, and the small wins deserve recognition.
The people who help us achieve those wins deserve recognition.
That is what Unbreakable Day is about, and we are all Unbreakable if we choose to be.
May 21 marks the anniversary of the accident.
Can you share how you intended to mark the moment?
