Comments on: Early Trauma and Resilience

By: Svetlana Shklarov

Svetlana Shklarov — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:22:15 +0000

Dear Eve,
What a story. I am honored that you read my article and it made sense to you. I know my language might be difficult to read a times, it’s my fault.
Have you recorded your story? It’s hard for me to know, but my heart goes out to you when I read that your sons were not interested to know much about your life. But in my experience, people often become interested in their parents’ roots and life stories as they grow older. And that’s when they are grateful to find records, old photos, or written stories. I think your story is amazing and extremely important – not only important for your family, but also for other people to know.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Keep well,
Svetlana

By: Svetlana Shklarov

Svetlana Shklarov — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:02:41 +0000

Dear Paul,
Thank you for your warm response and questions. I am sorry I didn’t respond right away – I just found your note.
I admire your work and your life story, and your writings were a major inspiration and source of wisdom for me when I did my study, and I am very grateful to you for this. It’s so thoughtful of you to respond to my article.
To your questions:
1. I too was struggling with the thought that those survivors who have lived through the adversities and succeeded get all the attention in research, media and the minds of the society, while there were so many of others, not that fortunate. I don’t have an answer to this question, but I too was thinking about it often.
2. The problems of children of child survivors were not the focus of my attention, so I don’t know much. But I read about different views on this issue. Inter-generational issues of trauma are so very complex, and I agree with you – being a daughter of a child survivor, I might have some stories to tell too.
3. Yes there was a list beyond Herman and it somehow got lost in publication. I will write to the publisher and ask to correct it. Thank you for noticing!
Thank you again for your response.
Svetlana

By: Eve Rider

Eve Rider — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:24:40 +0000

I am a child survivor, 8 years when I was placed into a TB sanatorium, 8 years and two month after they tried to kill me with Scarlett fever and Measles. I made it .
I was than taken to the KZ Sachsenhausen,25 km from Berlin in December f 1944. Officially, this camp had no children and has not been declared as a experimental station for children.
From December 1944 to the end of April 1945 when we was liberated by Polish and Russian forces. I have seen at least 20 children in March of 1945. We were 8 or 9 children at the day of liberation, two where girls.
I was used in experiments, to kill me. I had Spine surgery, that took years later 8 hours to repair. Per my pain doctor I had poison placed into my spine. They tried to kill me by a neck shoot, by feeding me poison. By trying to made me sterile. But I made it. I lost my memory for almost 40 years, when it came back with all its might. I am still alive, I hope I am able one day to finish my story. Everything in this article is full of truth.
Hard to read for me, as it is not written for a lay person.
What hurts me personally the most, that my family of husband and three boys blame me for not being the mother that I could have been. They tell me I was to overprotective. Nobody of my children and grandchildren is interested to know anything about me. Yes, I am still in therapy, in the moment EMDr, music and talk and tapping, that seem to help me . I read your article for the first time April 8.2013. The night before the Shoah commemoration. How did I find it- with GOD’s help. Why am I still alive, GOD took care of me. I hope to live many more years, I am now 76 years old. Walking. but steadily in pain.

By: Paul Valent

Paul Valent — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:51:16 +0000

Dear Svetlana,
Congratulations on a terrific article. It articulates beautifully my own feelings.
A couple of comments i have been struggling with:
1. We see now only child survivors who have survived, not those who have suffered/died in previous decades. I think they exceed those in the general population.
2. Anecdotally i Have observed problems in children of child survivors, including a distressingly high number of deaths. Have you found that?
Lastly, and this may be a personal hubris: Why have references not been published beyond Herman ?
Warm regards,
Paul Valent