Human Trafficking: Surviving the Sex Trade Gave Me the Gift of Two Lives

Excerpt from Robin Zee’s tell-all memoir, Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge

In the midst of my last social services burn-out, I met a man. I married him and I spiraled downward through the rabbit hole once again.

With a little help from a ‘friend’ (my doctor) I ended up at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph in its trauma program. While I was doing inner-child work, I found out I was pregnant. At 42! Holy moly, I’m going to be a mom! Married, pregnant, and in a trauma program for my honeymoon! I was going to have a girl!

I grew to the size of a house. I couldn’t even see my feet. People said the strangest things to me when I was pregnant, like “oh, you get to relive your childhood.” Oh my God, good grief, Hell Noooo!” I was on guard every time strangers wanted to touch my belly. It seemed like a natural reaction to me.

“When they finally handed her to me, I fell in love instantly. It was a love like I had never experienced in my whole life. It was pure and holy. ”

— Robin Zee

It took 25 hours of labour for her delivery and they had to go in because she was not coming out. When they finally handed her to me, I fell in love instantly. It was a love like I had never experienced in my whole life. It was pure and holy.

I learned that it was time for me to be a grown-up. Someone had to be. I was delighted and terrified. I didn’t know if I could be a protector but I had done so much inner-child work it helped me.

As my daughter grew so many things triggered me but I knew it wasn’t about me anymore. It was now all about her. I took my triggers into therapy. I so wanted to be an emotionally present mom. That sometimes was, and is, hard for me.

My husband and I had totally different ideas about parenting and finances which led to our divorce.The divorce was final when my daughter was three. I had to hold it together. Despite the fact that my parents had also divorced when I was around the same age but I was determined to do whatever it took not to go off the deep end. Custody depended on it.

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Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge

Borderline Me: Beyond the Edge is written by award-winning performer and author Robin Zee. Zee’s deeply moving and courageous tell-all memoir is based on the original one woman live show, Borderline Me. You can purchase Zee’s book here.

Free-Them as a non-profit, does not make any commission from links to, clicks to, or sales from the purchase of Borderline Me: Beyond The Edge.

If you are, or believe you have identified someone in a trafficking situation, you can take action. Call 911 immediately to notify local law enforcement. You may also call the human trafficking hotlines in Canada and the United States by dialing the numbers below. Both hotlines are open 24/7/365 days of the year and provide services in over 200 languages.