Eva’s journey of wellness

Eva’s wellness journey with Real began in 2022 following a difficult period in her life. With determination and support, Eva took strong steps towards her goals, reaching out for help, making changes, and navigating her way forward with the support of various services.

We invited Eva to share her story and artwork; recognising her pursuing her goals despite the many adversities she has faced. Eva’s insight and willingness to step outside her comfort zone has been inspirational. By sharing her story and artwork, we celebrate Eva’s courage and hope her journey motivates others to pursue their own goals.

Eva’s poem:

The people who loved me hurt me, and I couldn’t understand why.
I loved my family, but they hurt me.
I loved my family, but they didn’t protect me.
I loved my family, but they fell apart when I needed them most.
I loved my friends, but she left.
I loved my friends, but he violated me.
I loved my friends, but she hated me the first time I said no.
I loved my boyfriend, but he didn’t understand me.
I loved my boyfriend, but he loved drugs more.

Being me hurt, and I couldn’t understand why.
But loving was who I was.

Every day hurt. Everything was hard.
Waking up was hard. Showering was hard.
Leaving the house was hard.
But talking, talking was always the hardest.

Alcohol helped numb my pain.
I was fun and carefree when I was drunk.
If I drank enough, it silenced my shame.

But then I needed to drink every night,
I thought I couldn’t live without it.
But then every time I drank I wanted to die,
I couldn’t think of anything to stop me.

But ambulance staff became my safety.
The doctors and nurses my carers.
The psychologist told me I needed to stop drinking for things to ever get better.

I was so lost and defeated on my own, so I decided to listen.
I listened to the support workers and the counsellors.
I listened to the case managers and the doctors.
I put my trust in them, as I no longer trusted myself.

And I started talking, truthfully talking,
for the first time ever.
And slowly but steadily, things started changing.

I started to see a future for myself for the first time ever.
I’m starting to see hope through others’ encouragement.
And I started to notice that through the pain,
things in my life were changing for the better.
And that finally I started feeling ok,
which was the relief I’d begged for.

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— This story was first featured in Harikoa magazine (Issue 3, 2025).