BACKGROUND
THE CONTENT OF DIANE: TRUE SURVIVOR IS BASED ON A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN DIANE AND MYSELF.
We met in 2011 in Charleston, South Carolina. We were in graduate school together, completing our master’s degrees in clinical counseling.
One day, Diane and I were teamed up for an assignment where one person was the “counselor” and the other was the “new client.” For the assignment, the counselor had fifteen minutes to get a brief life history from the client. I went first and started asking Diane some basic questions about her life.
As she started to share information about herself, I was a bit skeptical because some of the details seemed far-fetched. As we proceeded, though, I could see that she speaking with true sincerity and earnestness. I realized that she had overcome some incredible challenges in her life. After fifteen minutes, the professor told us to switch roles. Diane was supposed to start interviewing me about my life, but that didn’t happen. I kept asking her questions because the details of her life were so interesting.
After that class, I learned more about Diane in conversations during class breaks and over lunches. I joked that the details of her life would make for a great book someday.
Over the next couple of years, I saw less of Diane, but we stayed in touch. I graduated and started a private psychotherapy practice. In 2014, Diane told me about some new developments in her life. Her story had evolved from one of challenge and hardship to one of grace and forgiveness. I decided to help her write a book so she could share her inspirational story with a larger audience. She hoped it might give strength to other people going through difficult times.
We weren’t sure how to proceed. This was new territory for both of us. We started meeting, and I’d ask her questions while making audio recordings our conversations. Before I became a therapist, I was a journalist, so asking questions came naturally for me. I used skills as both a counselor and a journalist in these discussions with Diane.
After we spoke, I transcribed the recordings. We had spoken for almost fifteen hours in total, so there was a lot to sift through. Sometimes, we discussed the same events in three or four separate conversations, and I was struck by the specificity and consistency in her stories. Her recall was remarkable, in-depth, and detailed, and she was able to paint a vivid picture of events that happened decades ago.
Taking these raw transcripts and turning them into a cohesive story was a bigger task than I imagined. We joked that she had given me the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and it was my job to arrange them into an overall image. I tried to organize her words to provide flow and structure, but my goal was always to stay true to her voice in all its authenticity. I kept the majority of her words but left some out. I’ve also changed some words for continuity, clarity, or context.
Diane was incredibly open and vulnerable, and I was surprised by her trust in the process. As a private person, this was a real leap of faith for her. She made it clear that her goal was to empower and uplift others who might be struggling. Diane didn’t want anyone’s pity.
— Ward V.B. Lassoe