"She was a speck of dust that escaped the ether accidentally" She was walking down a busy street, looking for some basic necessities. Her joints were not what they used to be. Her health had declined over the years, and she walked with difficulty. Crepitus—the creaks and grinding noises characteristic of advanced osteoarthritis—composed her daily symphony. The occasional spinning room and sudden loss of balance were her unprovoked, unsolicited, and unwelcome “high.” Iramae had survived repeated traumas throughout her life—verbal, physical, and even sexual abuse. Her husband treated her as though she wasn’t worth a penny, like something that was used and experimented on, and then thrown aside. She managed to free herself, but not without first enduring many years of abusive legal conflicts, being shunned by all their peers and her husband’s family—becoming persona non grata. She was left alone with young children, without a home, and without money. Retaliation that felt cult-...