Not a Statistic: Emma Wilson's Story of Determination Through Tragedy

The story of Emma Wilson's harrowing early life experiences which were sharply defined by a tragic act of gun violence that changed her - and her entire family's - lives forever. Wilson witnessed her father fatally shoot her mother when she was just a child. Later, she had a baby at 16.

Many might assume that, with the odds against her, she gave up or was visited by more misfortune. The traumas can set one up for a string of lifelong failures. Emma was different, however. Instead of allowing these events to define both her and her future, they did just the opposite: They kindled the fire within her to not only to survive, but to succeed. She set her sights on becoming the best mother she could be and a role model to her son, providing him with the safe, happy family life she was not fortunate enough to enjoy, gaining as much higher education as she could, and pursuing distinguished careers in education, the military, an entrepreneur, and an investor in real estate and her community.

Trauma at any age turns one's world upside down and leave them completely broken inside and emotionally paralyzed, but the effects of severe childhood trauma are even more serious, virtually guaranteeing an adverse impact on the emotional life, physical health, and overall wellbeing of the sufferer far into adulthood.

Wilson chronicles in heart wrenching detail, her battle to overcome losing her mother to death and her father to prison, as well as fighting to build a solid life for her son. Motherhood at such a young age meant that any goal she set, from earning her college degree to advancing in her military career, became that much more complicated and difficult. Still, she persisted in juggling her work, homework, daycare, and myriad other responsibilities, in addition to focusing resolutely on her academic demands in college.

Her deep Christian faith is what Wilson considers the stabilizing force in her life, and the fuel that enabled her to persevere even when things were at their bleakest. It also required her to forgive her father and find a new way forward in her life, despite the devastating past.

Through hard work and dedication to her son, family, and any task placed before her, Wilson retired as an officer in the United States Army, is the owner and CEO of her own business, Rapid Acquisition Management Solutions, a doting grandmother, and now a published author. "I made sure that these life-changing events shaped my future for success, and never leaned on them as crutches that prevented me from achieving. God offers no guarantee of a life without storms," she declares, "but He does provide the shelter necessary to make it through them."

Wilson also imparts that there is no magic trick to succeeding - it requires breaking large goals down into small, attainable ones, effectively prioritizing time, and being persistent and consistent. These habits, she believes, contribute significantly to reaping the benefits of hard work.

Wilson's memoir proves that she is a living testimony that it is not the events in one's life that held them back, it is how they respond to those events. "Any determined individual can overcome all odds and shatter every stereotype," she says, "and live a truly happy, productive, and successful life, proving that they are indeed not a statistic.