Note From the Publisher

A Voice for the Voiceless: Charlee Brazier’s Journey from Pain to Purpose

Charlee Brazier, publisher of Significant Magazine, is a survivor, a soldier, a journalist—and a fearless advocate for those whose stories often go unheard. In this deeply personal and courageous essay, Charlee sheds light on the lifelong impact of trauma, the devastating consequences of being unheard and misdiagnosed, and the resilience it takes to reclaim one’s life.

Her story spans continents, from growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to enduring trauma during military service in Germany, to finally receiving a long-overdue proper diagnosis decades later in Florida. Throughout, Charlee shares the raw truth about being a Black woman navigating a system that too often fails to see her.

With brutal honesty and unwavering strength, Charlee not only recounts her own experiences with PTSD, dissociative amnesia, and systemic neglect, but also calls attention to the gender and racial disparities that persist in healthcare—especially for veterans and survivors of abuse.

This article is more than a testimony; it’s a call to action to listen, to believe, and to advocate for meaningful change in how we treat trauma and who we deem worthy of care. We are proud to share her powerful narrative here.

Gary A. Johnson – Publisher (Black Men In America.com)

My Battle with Post Traumatic Stress by Charlee Brazier

According to the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress, most people will encounter at least one trauma in their lifetime that could result in PTSD. Several factors, often beyond your control, can increase the risk of experiencing trauma. For instance, repressed exposure to trauma or injury heightens the likelihood of developing PTSD.

Men and women tend to experience different types of traumatic events. Women are more commonly subjected to sexual assault, while men are more likely to face accidents, physical assault, combat, or witness death or injury. Additionally, those who identify as transgender or nonbinary are at risk of trauma. More research is needed to understand how trauma risk varies across race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, disability status, and other social factors.

For me, I believe that my PTSD began when I was a child. I am certain that my race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities and other social factors affected my medical care and complete outcome. The lack of proper treatment and knowledge caused me to make the same unsafe choices repeatedly.

My journey began in Grand Rapids Michigan where I grew up in a Catholic School with 10 sisters and 5 brothers. We were always taught “what happened in our house stayed in our house.” I repressed my memories of sexual abuse until adulthood partly because adults I confined in ignored my cries for help. I suffered in silence for years.

It did not stop me from becoming a strong educated black woman with individuality and pride. However, I was not aware of the disorder, PTSD so my symptoms increased after joining the military and experiencing constant sexual harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence during my marriage to a solider in Germany. The abuse and physical and mental disabilities made me vulnerable to myself and society.

I am writing this article in hope that it will bring awareness to abuse, PTSD and the gender inequalities for black women in the healthcare system.

The tremendous number of traumas and lack of support from anyone which included civilian and military resources eventually resulted in blackouts. I unknowingly developed something called dissociative amnesia. It’s a defense mechanism that the brain uses to cope with overwhelming emotions. Unfortunately, this survivor tactic haunted me for at least 3 decades even though my counseling was consistent in and out of the military.

I obtained several disabilities that left me unfunctional for months at a time and was often over medicated for almost 30 years. Because of my strong will to succeed I worked around my disabilities which inspired me and gave me some since of normality. Nevertheless, I acknowledged the blackouts when I was driving and could not remember how to get home one day. I began to misplace items around the house and forget conversation with my family. I eventually realized that my memories were not equivalent to my twin sisters.

I lost memories of most of my childhood. My seizures made my symptoms worse and many of the issues were blamed on PTSD. I was finally diagnosed in 2012 and put in a co-ed program at the VA Medical Center but several of my medical and mental issues were still being ignored by doctors.

The Cognitive Exposure treatment was helpful to a certain extent but I often witnessed and experienced atrocities for a year while in the program. Some of the male veterans were rapist and had criminal histories. They were in the Veterans Treatment Court Program that allowed them to evade jail by getting into the VA Medical Centers program. My instincts as a reporter caused me to communicate with many veterans out of concern of my welfare. The women encouraged me to write again during my therapy. I reported the incidents and was quickly deemed recovered shortly after.

During my recovery I determined that I was going to get my life back and turn my pain into purpose. I started creating Significant Magazine (a fundraising online, interactive and international publication created to help disabled domestic violence victims and at-risk veterans. I journalized and began writing my life story. Most importantly I wrote letters to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs about my medical history and dilemmas with the VA Medical Center.

In 2022 I was sent to Mayo clinic in Jacksonville Florida for a year for a proper medical diagnosis. I was put in a program to evaluate my PTSD and my physical disabilities. I was also sent to VA Medical Center in Lake Baldwin Florida. The diagnosis was that I had been misdiagnosed with Lupus, over medicated for several years and that the steroids had damaged my body. Not to mention over 10 surgeries that I’m not sure were necessary.

Lastly, I tracked down an African American doctor that treated me in Germany and initially diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia in 1986. I remembered that he always did extensive research on my symptoms and was sure that there were other issues. He was the first doctor that thoroughly evaluated my complete life and medical symptoms. He asked questions that no other doctor had bothered to ask.

Sadly, I was dependent by 1988 and left for the States with my then husband and never saw him again. I discovered that Dr. Irvin was in Georgia and sent him my records. One of his diagnoses was exposure to hazardous substances in the military. I was treated with infusions and put on many vitamins to improve my health. Today, for the first time I can enjoy life as I did in my earlier years.

I must contribute this to the dedication of Thomas L Irvin MD, Colonel, Retired US Army, Former Rheumatology Consultant to the Surgeon General and Former Chief, Rheumatology at Charlie Norwood VA, Augusta, GA who always encouraged me to pursue help during my earlier years of abuse. His diligence gave me a proper diagnosis and changed my life.

A Candid Conversation on Domestic Violence and Abuse with Charlee Brazier

What began as a casual segment quickly evolved into a raw, organic discussion about the hidden realities, emotional toll, and long-term impact of domestic violence. Charlee bravely shares her personal journey, shedding light on the red flags, coping mechanisms, and the importance of breaking the silence.

About The Author

Charlee D. Brazier is an Army Veteran, Fashion Designer, Journalist, and Artist whose career spans over two decades in the fields of art, fashion, and journalism. She founded the digital magazine Significant in 2016, inspired by her experiences navigating racial barriers and disparities faced by veterans and disabled domestic violence survivors.

Charlee’s professional journey began as a freelance writer and artist. She later became a columnist and reporter for The Perspective, the only Black magazine in the Southwest at the time, where she created the impactful column Woman 2 Woman.  Click here to learn more about Charlee.