Mike Melton's father was shot when he was a child. For decades he built a successful life as a businessman and father while hiding the trauma, until he admitted he wasn't okay. That admission started his real healing.
This is Chapter 1, The Day My Childhood Ended. I'm Mike Melton, and this is my story. I was just a little boy when my life changed forever. But people meet me today, and they— all they do is see a businessman, a husband, a father, a man who loves fitness. Now, I used to be a lot fatter, but fitness is part of my deal. A man who helps other people. But what they don't see is a little boy I used to be. When my father was shot and taken from me, my world totally changed. And as a child, I experienced something no child should ever experience. I didn't understand why it happened. Hell, I didn't understand the process of it. I just knew that life would never feel the same again. So I did a lot of what men do. I buried it. I just kept on moving. I worked harder. I smiled when people expected me to smile. But here's what I learned: pain that gets buried, it doesn't stay buried. It waits, and it shows up in my thoughts, my relationships, my decisions, my life. But looking back, healing didn't start when I, when I became successful. Healing started when I finally admitted that I wasn't okay and that I was one of the hardest things that I've ever done. And if you're carrying something like this today that you've buried for years, I just want you to know you're not the only one.
