A message from Truddi Chase’s Daughter

About

As Truddi Chase’s daughter, I created this site to keep my mother’s legacy alive. Truddi and The Troops – AKA the collective of Truddi’s personalities – were adamant about helping abuse/trauma survivors. They wanted people to know that they had a voice and that they should continue to use that voice until someone would not only listen but also help.

I don’t think Truddi and The Troops ever truly knew the depth of how far they reached people with their story. As I write this today, at the beginning of 2021, I am still getting emails and messages from those whose lives they touched. From survivors, psychology students & instructors, social service workers, and fans, I treasure each one as it is a reminder of my mother’s strength and sheer tenacity to help make a better place for those who have suffered such atrocities and are working to overcome and thrive.

I watched their struggles through therapy and writing “When Rabbit Howls,” and then their joys and frustrations with “Creature of Habit, A Journey.”

We “blew up” many a scanner back in the day and filled tons of “floppy disks” with huge art files trying to get the layout of “Creature” just right. We argued about the book layout and laughed at the many animals that would come to our porch for her to draw and then cried every time one of the publishing houses said they wouldn’t take on publishing “Creature” because it was “cost-prohibitive.”

Later, I hoped to self-publish “Creature” and give it to Truddi as a gift but they passed away before the project was complete. I was so far down the “rabbit hole” by that time (3 years to be exact) that I decided I couldn’t stop and needed to finish what she started. It took another 4 years of late nights and weekends and tons of graphic help from my dear friend, Melody Diaz, to get “Creature” published. Total labor of love for sure.

Because there are so many of you still reaching out to me, telling me what Truddi and her story has meant to you, I wanted to continue the sharing of all things, Truddi and The Troops with you. There is so much more that you don’t know. So many interviews only showed her crying and reliving traumatic memories. I want to share her amazing talents with you. I want to share fun and humorous stories. I want to share how she got through days and nights with memory triggers and how she made the holidays the best. The good and yes, some of the bad will be shared here. Why? Because she wanted to help others to see that there was life on the other side and that MPD/DID is a SURVIVAL mechanism, not a death sentence.

I also know there are children and supporters of survivors out there who could use some upliftment as well. My childhood wasn’t the easiest, having a mother with 92 personalities had its challenges for sure. So many of you have shared your stories with me and I am so grateful as I know how frustrating it can be at times. I will also share stories of what helped us to keep our relationship a loving, supportive, and respectful one.

I hope that if you are struggling as the caregiver, that you too seek help. Find your team, your tribe of helpers to ease some of the burdens and create a better relationship with the person you are caring for. Truddi and I had to leap a few hurdles to create the wonderful relationship we had. It was work but totally worth it.

Enjoy the journey!

Kari