Living Life To The Fullest  http://learntruehealth.com/living-life-to-the-fullest Living life to the fullest is mostly everyone's ultimate goal. Life has so much to offer in terms of personal growth and enriching other people's lives through what we do. However, for some people like my guest, Wesley Chapman, it wasn't a smooth ride. Been through hell and back, he is living life to the fullest by telling his story of survival, resilience, and hope. Traumatic Childhood Wesley Chapman's childhood was full of trauma. Born to parents who were both incapable of raising him in a normal environment, Wesley Chapman was diagnosed with 'failure to thrive.' "Failure to thrive is a human being's lack of the basics that make us up as a species a.k.a. like having love or the feeling of being nurturing," said Wesley Chapman. "The physical side of hygiene, nutrition and basic rights of humanity were likewise inadequate." Wesley Chapman recalls that people around his parents tried to get them to change their habits. However, rather than turning better, things apparently got worse. Abandoned And Molested Before Wesley Chapman turned a year old, his father abandoned the family. He says his mom protected her herself by remarrying out of safety and necessity. Wesley Chapman's stepfather, however, was nowhere near the doting father that Wesley Chapman yearned. Apparently, it was not long before Wesley Chapman's stepfather showed his true colors. He was insanely abusive to Wesley Chapman and his younger siblings. Consequently, the abuse was physical, emotional and sexual. "I wake up in cold sweat scared of being molested while watching my siblings being molested. But as the oldest boy, I wanted to take the brunt of the abuse," said Wesley Chapman. He adds, "Internally; I was torn. It didn't help that my younger brother was mentally disabled. Doctors also thought I was a functioning mentally-handicapped person. I was labeled a lot. Hence, I was made to take a lot of medication." Being Orphaned At the age of 6, Wesley Chapman had to deal with his mother who was struggling with a lot of issues. By seven years old, Wesley Chapman became an orphan when his mother also abandoned him and his siblings. Consequently, that made Wesley Chapman very angry. At a young age, Wesley Chapman was made to feel that he was worthless. Hence, living life to the fullest seemed like an impossible dream. "I played the victim role, and I was labeled so much. I didn't trust anyone, and I wasn't communicating well with others," recalls Wesley Chapman. Suicide Was An Option With so many bad things happening, Wesley Chapman felt hopeless. It seemed like he was never going to be living life to the fullest. Hence, suicide became a daily occurrence. "If you read my journals, it's crazy how much writing I did. Before the age of 16, I had 12 documented suicide attempts," Wesley Chapman shares. "Plus, the medicines were tearing my body apart. Hence, I became so sick." Going Cold Turkey However, at 16 years old, Wesley Chapman got tired of these medical professionals dictating to him how to live life. So one day, Wesley Chapman decided to go cold turkey on all medication. Because of that, he went through withdrawal symptoms but survived through it. "Looking back, my traumatic childhood was a saving grace. It was something that gave me a chance to strive for living life to the fullest." Wesley Chapman said. Picking Up The Pieces Life didn't become rosy overnight after Wesley Chapman decided to eradicate medication from his life. Abuse was daily at his foster homes even after he left his biological family unit. He still experienced physical, emotional and spiritual abuse until the latter part of his teenage years. Wanting to start living life to the fullest, Wesley Chapman began to read up about health. He mainly focused on how to maintain a healthy liver and the importance of staying hydrated all the time. Aside from paying attention to what he ate and drank, Wesley Chapman likewise paid