What My Parents Sacrificed So I Could Still Be a Kid

I remember we went almost a month living on canned tuna.

Life hits different when things start getting really f##hashtag#n’ hard.

I have so many of these pictures.

I don't like to share them because, honestly, they bring me back to those times, and it's hard to believe we survived.

I still tell my friends I'm the thinnest-cut slice of luck.

As a kid, I didn't really know the difference.

I just wanted to play and be a kid.

I didn't realize how insanely hard it was for my family to protect me while living in a refugee camp, or how hard it was to keep me clothed and fed.

My Dad made us laugh and kept us entertained with stories, but man, did he do more than that.

My Mom cooked in this "kitchen," making whatever she could from what was given to us by the UN that week, but man, did she do so, so, so much more than that.

It's so difficult to see this continue to happen all around the world and, sadly, in some cases, in our backyard.

Something's gotta change. That's all I'm saying.