From attempted suicide to success story
Dr Trisha Bailey maps road to healing and triumph in ‘Unbroken’
Published:Tuesday | August 29, 2023 | 11:44 AMShanel Lemmie - Staff Reporter
After being dubbed the richest Jamaican woman alive, international billionaire Dr Trisha Bailey is sharing the secrets to her success in her book, Unbroken: The Triumphant Story of a Woman’s Journey.
“How I came about writing the book is through my journey of aspiring to become greater than what I was born into and what the normal would normally look like for a black woman. I just wanted to show them that regardless of whatever challenges there are, and I’ve had many, regardless of where they are, regardless of the pain that they might feel, they can overcome and they can reach the stage that I am at today. But there are certain methodologies that they must utilise in order to get to that space of mental fortitude as well as being structured and disciplined and acquiring the necessary skills.”
Though born in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, Bailey migrated to Connecticut in the United States at the age of 13 years old. No stranger to hardship in her life, Bailey overcame sexual assault, poverty, depression and suicide before amassing her fortune through her entrepreneurial exploits in the medical field.
“The book reads like a fictional novel, but it’s my autobiography,” she quipped. “It also gives a lot of advice on how to build. Like how to build careers, how to withstand discomfort, how to navigate through corporate America, how to build yourself as an entrepreneur.”
Bailey says by going through the dual process of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and releasing her traumas, she now has only love in her heart.
“One of the things that happened since I’ve released the book, the people who have read it, they started sharing. They would start sharing not just with me but they [would] start sharing with others. There is a healing that comes with sharing. Because for me, as I shared and I was so open and raw in all the descriptors of my life’s challenges, what happened for me is that it’s almost like I released the negative traumas and they have been replaced with love in my heart.”
Though now standing proud as a Jamaican-American success story, Bailey says during her writing process she was initially hesitant to include some stories from her past. While now she can laugh about it, Bailey says she was initially very nervous to include her previous struggles to pass the SATs, a standardised testing system in the United States.
NOT MUCH ACADEMIC ATTENTION
“When I came to the United States, I was really behind with school. The Jamaican school system from where I was growing up, they put a lot of attention on the kids that they believe are the brightest minds and they get lots of attention, the other kids don’t really get it as much and I was one of those kids that didn’t get much attention, so I was academically behind.”
Bailey says time after time she failed to get the necessary scores to pass the exam. “I took it four or five times and I just could not qualify,” she said recalling the once difficult memory.
She said after consulting with her writer, she decided to add the story in hopes that it would inspire someone to keep going.
She told The Sunday Gleaner in her process she also felt some hesitation in sharing her suicide story.
“I was in a coma for eight days, and the reason I was in a coma is because I attempted suicide. For me it said to me, you’re weak, because you did this to yourself. But I wasn’t weak and I was able to overcome these different things, and people are not weak. That story, especially because there’s so many in the black community, I struggled with sharing that. But then I said this is my job, my responsibility on earth, and right now I am walking and living in my purpose. To be able to uplift, inspire and to show young people that yes, you might get to the part of complete darkness but there’s still always a little bit of light and as long as we hold on to that small amount of light when you go through the pain, then you’ll be okay because God's got you.”
Now available on Amazon, Bailey says she is looking forward to seeing the reception to her vulnerability.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the Ministry of Health & Wellness’ mental health and suicide prevention helpline at 888-NEW-LIFE (639-5433).