In this episode, Al interviews Geralyn Ritter, executive vice president at Oregon, trauma survivor, and author (recorded 9-8-22). May 12, 2015 started out as a typical day for Geralyn. She was on a train that she had taken many times. Only this time, soon after leaving the Philadelphia station on a train that would normally be a short ride to her home, she felt some unusual shaking as she had stood up to get something from her briefcase that was on a luggage rack. She grabbed the luggage rack with an unbelievable sensation that the train was tipping.
Later, she was to find out that the Amtrak 188 train was traveling at a speed of 106 mph on a curve designed for a speed of 50 mph. After screaming, realizing that the train actually was tipping, her next memory was waking up several days later in the ICU of a hospital with a breathing tube down her throat.
Geralyn describes how her family, too, struggled to even find her after the tragic accident, as she was clinging to life as a Jane Doe. She shares her incredible, inspirational story of surviving through unimaginable physical injuries, terrible pain, and debilitating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Hear how this tragedy changed the trajectory of Geralyn's work and inspired her to write a memoir in the hopes of helping others. You can find her memoir, Bone by Bone: A Memoir of Trauma & Healing, at BoneByBoneBook.com. You can also find out more about Geralyn on her website, GeralynRitter.com.
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In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.
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