I've worked in the medical field for 3 decades and have learnt that gaining as much information from a patient is crucial in figuring what is wrong with them.
Imagine if I just treated every patient that I saw who complained of chest pain as a cardiac case. Just assumed because it was the chest and the heart is a vital organ it has to be a cardiac condition. I'd be missing a lot of other possible diagnosis, for example gall stones, oesphageal spasm, pericarditis and so on. The point being, to get clear picture I need to know as much as I can about the patient and their problem. But not just what they say, but what I can visually see and also what their accompanying person says (especially with male patients who tend to miss vital bits of info and arrive at the wrong self diagnosis).
And so it is the same here. Every one of us has a vital story to tell, whether it be as an MK or as someone who was/is a part of NTM. Yes some experiences are more traumatic and raw than others, but each little part of the jigsaw helps build up a diagnosis. We all know what the problem was, it was abuse on a grand scale, but in gaining a fuller understanding of how this happened, it is more likely that we can make sure it never happens again and those that have suffered the ill effects have at least a shot at gaining some healing.
Whatever your experience, good or bad, if you feel you'd like to share it, by all means feel free to do so. I promise I won't make you cough anything into a little specimen jar, I'm off duty today

. Now take a deep breath, hold and . . .