Surviving Survivorship

Apr 17, 2025

By Cassandra Aho

A blog about what comes after survival, and the many ways we keep going.

Surviving isn’t the end of the story.

In fact—for many of us—it’s the beginning of a much harder chapter.

Surviving Survivorship is a space to explore the complicated, messy, and powerful realities of life after violence, especially for those navigating systems, raising children, or carrying trauma through birth, parenting, and care work. It’s for survivors who were told, “You’re safe now,” but still feel unsafe in their bodies, relationships, or institutions. It’s for providers and advocates who carry what they witness, and for anyone walking through healing without a clear roadmap.

Here, we name what’s often left unspoken:

The grief that lingers

The moments of clarity and collapse

The systems that retraumatize

And the beauty and resistance of simply continuing

This blog offers reflections, stories, and questions—some mine, some shared—with the hope of creating a softer landing place for survivors, and a deeper listening space for those working beside them.

This is not a space for answers.

It’s a space for breath, for truth, and for honoring what survival really demands.

If you want to share your story, please connect with me to submit a blog post.