This week on Trauma Candy Salad, we’re serving Sour Patch Kids, Reese’s Cups, and Life Saver Gummies alongside three wildly different but deeply impactful trauma stories.

Broken Leg Babe takes us back to church camp talent night in her “main character” era — where a Bluetooth malfunction, an ill-timed key change, and one dramatic step backward led to a broken leg and a legendary fall from grace.

Zen Zombie shares the heartbreaking story of how a routine ER visit for a foot infection turned into a devastating medical decline after her mother was denied essential medications. What followed was a mental health spiral, 24/7 care placement, and a painful look at how healthcare system failures can permanently alter families.

And Ollie brings a story about growing up with an alcoholic father — the chaos, the unfinished projects, the name-calling, and the night a cigarette sparked something bigger. It’s a raw look at resentment, guilt, generational trauma, and what it means to break cycles.

As always, we hold space for the funny, the unfair, and the painfully complicated.

If you’d like to submit your own story or be featured on the show, visit TraumaCandySalad.com and fill out the submission form.

For resources related to topics discussed in this episode, check the show notes.

No matter what you’re going through, there’s always room for a little sweetness.