Returning home from an afternoon playing with friends, 11-year-old Englishman Reece was shocked: he found two men who brought news that would change his life forever.

“When I walked in, I remember these two tall men there in very elegant suits,” he told the BBC.

“All my stuff was in suitcases and I remember when they told me we were going on a little trip.”

Reece’s mother had witnessed a traffic murder and had witnessed the investigation. The men at the boy’s home in south Glasgow (Scotland) were there to put the mother and children in witness protection.

“It was kind of fun at first,” Reece says.

“I thought it was great. I was going to a lot of hotels, getting groceries, it seemed fun and adventurous. Then as time went on I started to realize that it never ends.”

The UK’s Protected Persons Service, run by the National Anti-Crime Agency (NCA), provides protection for witnesses deemed to be at serious risk. This often involves moving them from home to a safer location.

According to the NCA website, thousands of cases have been handled by the Protected Persons Service in recent years.

Reece, now 25, says no one has told her what’s going on. And crossing from one side to the other turned her life upside down.

He missed his friends and had trouble adjusting to new schools. Meanwhile, her mother’s mental health was seriously deteriorating. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, she.

“He had a lot of trouble before he (witnessed) the murder, but he was so strong, nothing could bring him down,” she says.

“I don’t know what happened next. I’m starting to realize that he’s not the same anymore. His mental health got worse and worse every year, until he died.”

Reece’s mother was 45 years old.

The young man said he and his mother spent more than four years in the witness protection program, but the trauma had a lasting effect on his life due to problems at school and with the police.

“I started getting into trouble when I was between the ages of 18 and 20,” he says.

“When I was a kid I was in trouble before but never went to court. I drank too much five nights a week. I went to parties, I did a lot of drugs? I thought I was having fun. He was 18, got out of the closet and was single.”

At first, “it felt like an escape—and I think in a way it was, but it wasn’t a very healthy escape,” she says.

Medical attendance

At the age of 20, Reece was forced by the courts to seek medical attention. She was eventually diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, she.

“Many people may not like being diagnosed, but for me personally, I feel like it gave me the answer I needed to start my recovery,” she says.

At age 25, Reece shares her story with other teens on a podcast she helped produce.

In the first episode, Reece talks about how he managed to change his life. She says a very important point is cognitive behavioral therapy. At first, she thought the cure wouldn’t work. However, she says she feels more positive, happy and empathetic as the sessions go on.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says.

Today, Reece majors in social work, volunteers, and teaches mental health classes. His dream is to make a documentary.

She also hopes that her experience will help other teens overcome trauma.

“Five or six years ago I was in court, crying to the judge, thinking my life was over, that I would never have a life, that it was over,” she says.

“Six years later I worked hard and I’m proud of it. I want people to see that they can overcome their trauma.”

– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62362116.