Juggling the elements

Tracey Power has maintained her courage, honesty and humour despite having suffered abuse and trauma at the hands of her family and the state from birth. Tracey looks different, she sometines has a shaved head and many tattoos and she is scarred from ‘slashing up’. Tracey acts differently, she doesn’t follow the social rules of behaviour. She loves trams and has the word ‘tram’ tattooed on her hand. She has a mental illness which has led her to being institutuionalised a number of times. She is both street wise and disarmingly trusting and generous. She looks very tough, yet she is very sensitive and vulnerable. She tells her story ‘in your face’ and she tells it ‘straight’ about abuse, institutions, drug addiction, mental illness, slashing up, giving up her baby for adoption and also about friendships, fun, love and hope. Tracey’s story tells us alot about living with mental illness, about being different and about surviving without losing your spirit or humanity.