This memoir follows my life from the time I was born with a cleft lip and palate to the time I lost my voice to thyroid cancer. It tells of the despair of my childhood as I sought to hide from my tormentors, one being my 5th grade teacher. That despair led to my running away from home in my mid-teens, and creates the first of many turning points in my life.Each successive turning point leads me to a final self-revelation that saved me from what would have been a far different life than the one I'm certain I've been guided into. You will follow my life as it brings you to the present state of affairs where I now have no voice at all except an artificial one.My memoir ends with me again finding my way out of the despair of once again trying to clearly communicate to a world that has difficulty understanding me. This memoir is an example of that new pathway. It is only one of the many things I've written since finding my voice as writer. You will find that as I complete this life story.