It’s one of humanity’s greatest mysteries—how people overcome extreme adversity and change the world.
Albert Einstein, Alexander Hamilton, and Ludwig Van Beethoven overcame significant hurdles to make lasting impacts in science, economics, art, and culture.
But this display of resilience isn’t reserved for men alone.
Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, and Malala Yousafzai are among the more notable women who’ve overcome unspeakable trauma and helped countless others along the way.
Amidst the ranks of these extraordinary women is another young woman whose name you may not know.
Her name is Vanessa Lambie. She’s your neighbor and my adopted daughter.
Like Oprah (who’s been vocal about the child abuse she experienced), Vanessa endured horrific abuse as a child. With her permission, I’d like to share a bit of her story to encourage those of you working to overcome trauma or support others through the process.
I first met Vanessa in October 2011. At the time, I was living with my family in Uganda (a small country in East Africa). My husband, Scott, and I were visiting the local child welfare office to get paperwork signed for the adoption of two of our children.
Upon entering the office, we immediately gazed upon a child crouching in the corner. Scared eyes peered out from the dirty yellow blanket draped over her. She looked so frail and vulnerable, my heart ached for her.
She had been brought in that morning after staying in a jail cell for two weeks, the officer told us. Jail was the safest place they could find for the 11-year-old after she disclosed to the police the abuse she’d experienced at home.
He couldn’t help us that day, he explained, because he had to figure out where she would sleep that night.
Before he finished explaining, Scott’s arms were around Vanessa.
“She can sleep at our house,” I said. “She can stay as long as she needs to.”
Within minutes, foster care orders were drawn up and signed, and we were on our way home.
It didn’t take long for us to fall in love.
Vanessa flourished in our family setting. She adjusted well to life with our five children, quickly caught up in school, excelled in athletics, and loved throwing dance parties for her friends.
After five years of foster care, Vanessa became our daughter.
In 2016, our family returned to the U.S. It was about this time that Vanessa’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) kicked in. The intensity and frequency of her nightmares increased. She experienced bouts of depression.
But as her PTSD intensified, so did her desire to help other children going through what she’d experienced.
This phenomenon is known as post-traumatic growth (PTG), or a newfound sense of personal strength that’s often marked by a desire to help others. (Alas, humanity’s great mystery is solved!)
PTG is what led Oprah to voice her experiences and advocate for others. It’s what motivated Maya Angelou to write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It’s what stirred Vanessa’s soul to help other children.
In 2020, upon graduating from Dripping Springs High School, Vanessa decided to share her story publicly.
“So many children in Uganda are going through what I went through, but few ever speak out or seek help. I decided if there was a chance my story could help, I needed to share it,” Vanessa says.
In 2021, inspired by her courage and resolve, Scott and I joined forces with Vanessa to launch Rescue One More, Inc., a registered nonprofit organization bringing safety, justice, and healing to child survivors of abuse in Uganda.
It takes a lot of courage to do what Vanessa did, but we believe God is using her story to help survivors around the world. We’ve seen her story inspire children to come forward, and we’re committed to doing whatever we can to ensure they have access to safety, justice, and healing.
We’ve also seen the extraordinary impact that transpires when one person’s courage collides with the kindness and generosity of a community.
You see, most of our supporters are right here in Dripping Springs. It’s been incredible to see our community here come together to transform communities on the other side of the world.
So far, thanks to our friends and neighbors, we’ve:
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Rescued 108 children from abuse and trafficking
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Provided 225 children with critical services
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Arrested 157 perpetrators
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Trained more than 61,000 parents, teachers, and children on child safeguarding and abuse prevention
Through her own courage and fortitude, Vanessa is transforming lives. But through the support of her community, she may just change the world.
