At 26, I learned a hard lesson while being on a wheelchair: how a lifetime of neglecting my emotional well-being would somatize into a diagnosis of osteoarthritis.

THE DAY THE WAVES TURNED SILENT is a memoir that tells the story of my escape from abusive and codependent relationships with my Hispanic family. Then, fueled by the yearning desire for connection and deeper meaningful relationships, I went on a long trip to Nicaragua where I would end up with the inability to walk because of the pain this new illness came with.