Sharon Ward, an Ojibway woman from the Brokenhead Nation in Manitoba, shares a deeply personal account of intergenerational trauma, survival, and healing. She traces the devastating impact of Canada’s residential school system through her own family — her mother was taken at three and a half years old and spent nearly a decade at Fort Alexander, enduring severe abuse and witnessing atrocities. Sharon describes how that trauma rippled forward, turning her once-gentle mother toward alcoholism once Indigenous women were legally permitted to drink in 1966, pulling the family into poverty and further abuse. Despite her own struggles — including navigating cultural identity and language barriers — Sharon found her way through a 40-year healing journey rooted in Ojibwe spiritual tradition, self-forgiveness, and the belief that every person has a sacred purpose. She closes with a message of resilience: that Creator only allows people to face what they are strong enough to bear, and that sharing her story is the work she was put here to do.
“Creator’s only going to allow people to go through what they are strong enough to go through” – Sharon Ward
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00:00 – Opening: Sharon describes crawling through a light and feeling overwhelming love on the other side
01:36 – Introduction: Who is Sharon Ward? Ojibway Nation, Manitoba, raised on the trap line
02:42 – Residential Schools: What they were and how Indigenous children were forcibly taken from families
03:39 – Sharon’s Mother: Taken to Fort Alexander at age 3½, siblings separated across Manitoba
04:00 – Horrors Inside the Schools: Mother witnesses murders, experiences abuse by priests and nuns
04:49 – A Community Destroyed: 1966 law allows Indigenous women to drink; mother’s alcoholism spirals
06:00 – Survival Childhood: Family becomes self-sufficient, then alcohol breaks everything apart
07:31 – Sharon as a Teenager: Marijuana as coping, beatings by her mother, thrown out in a snowstorm
09:53 – Mother’s Death: Cancer, drinking through chemo, a peaceful passing — then Sharon’s grief unravels her
13:23 – The Overdose: Consumed 270+ pills and whiskey, hoping not to wake up
14:26 – The NDE Begins: Dying, Sharon hears her siblings’ voices and feels the pain she would have caused
15:57 – The Voice and the Light: Told to “turn around,” walks toward a distant speck of light, crawls through
17:05 – Meeting the Messenger: A being whose face cycles through all races tells her Creator has a job only she can do
19:46 – Sent Back: She begs to stay, is returned anyway — wakes on the couch as her sister calls the coroner
22:32 – Processing the Experience: Realizes over days that it was real; decides to begin healing
23:21 – Return to Indigenous Ways: Smudging, sweat lodges, traditional medicines as the path back
28:51 – The Philosophy of Forgiveness: Healing begins with self-kindness; forgiveness is for you, not them
30:11 – Closing: Life is sacred; Creator loves everybody
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What happened to the fundraiser for Sharon on GoFundMe? It appears to have been removed.
Thank you for keeping your roots alive
♥♥🙏🙏
At the 250th anniversary of the USA its making me thing of the rupture to take Native Amerians away from their tribal ways. They seem so different. Their medicines are for sure better than the alcoholism pushed upon them. The idea of a sweat lodge is felt as full of dangerousness. I've been in my own kind: a sauna
My dad has just died and he died by himself due to me working away. I feel nothing but guilt and sorrow, so I'm coming to these videos to take away some of the pain.
Alcohol is such a bad thing.
Please protect my dad, Jesus. Please forgive him and protect him 🙏🏻💚
You have a beautiful story and may God bless your heart.
I feel so much as you do as far as being related to other people I volunteer at Foodbank and we have a lot of homeless people and I have gotten so close to the people that worked there into the people that come there and a lot of them are drug abusers and they are just trying to live their life. I don’t know where they are in their journey, but I know that they are very Loving and lovable people.. I’ve gotten to know some of them very well. I know some of their names and that makes them so happy when you know their name because then they know they’re not invisible because homeless people feel invisible because they are so left out of this world neglected hurt Throwing aside like trash so it’s a very good thing for me to do to go there and say hello to them and talk to them and let them know that I see them and they they are not invisible to me. I too feel so connected to nature the land, the trees, the sky, the waters. I grow a great big vegetable garden every year and I love working in the ground may helping to make something grow and passing out vegetables to anyone who needs them or wants them I love swimming I could stay in the water. My family calls me the mermaid. I went to Hawaii, where my son lives and was able to swim four days during the 10 days that were there and I did not want to get out of that water. I love it so much For me working in the garden and swimming are the two things that help me heal because I have so much pain and anger and guilt that I am working for the guilt I think is the hardest part because you feel guilty for the things that you’ve done wrong to other people especially your children your family And your friends. But somehow we get through them isn’t that true somehow life gets better and we learn to take care of them and ourselves too. I’m still working on it like I said I am 72 years old and my journey is not over. I am still working on the things that I need to do in this life before it’s my time to go..
As an adult, I got involved with an extremely abusive man and just destroyed me and my family. And I finally after many years broke away from him and I had so much anger and pain that I used to go out in the car find a place to park and I used to just scream and cry and beat my fist on the steering wheel. Life had been too hard and I didn’t know how to fix fix it. Me and my children have been broken and I didn’t know how to fix any of us. We went through counseling and that seemed to help me they didn’t really want to go, and I see the damage that it has done to them now that they are grown. But we got away from the man and I did not get involved with anybody else for many many years because I was afraid I would choose the wrong person again. I would not bring another man around my children. I had made a mistake by bringing this man into my home around my children to where everyone was hurt because of the abuseI was very lonely, but it was something that I had to do to protect my children and myself I was better off being by myself.
My husband was native and so we have always gone to the powwow. My granddaughter started dancing, jingle and fancy shawl. Whenever she was 10 years old I made her outfits. My husband made her moccasins that he had beaded so we had adopted traditional ways smudging cleansing the house with sage. For me when I go to the powwow I feel like I have come home because I have friends there and it is very spiritual for me when I go it’s almost something that I need to do and I feel terrible. If I miss a powwow, we have only three here locally we used to travel and go to a lot of Powwow, but we don’t do that anymore. My great granddaughter now dances and I made her jingle dress. My daughter make all of her grandchildren and me a ribbon skirt. My granddaughter beads also and so does my daughter. I have a friend who has novel and she lives on a reservation in Arizona so I am trying to learn the language so when I can go visit her, maybe I will be able to say a few words to her. I just feel that this is something that I should do and she’s very happy that I am trying to learn. It’s a very hard language to learn. It’s probablyone of the hardest ones that I’ve had to try to learn. I do know some Spanish and I am learning Italian, which they are too similar languages, but Navajo is very different and like I said it is difficult, but I am trying again. Thank you for sharing.
I had what I called inherited pain because my grandfather committed suicide. He was in so much pain. He was an alcoholic and he had been abusive with his family and I think he thought it was his only way out so that he could stop the abuse. But years later, my father still had so much pain whenever he would drink he would tell me about how his father died how he killed himself and then he will talk about his mother how she died. She got sick and left behind fire smart children who went into foster care and one was adopted out so he lost his brother so he would talk about losing his brother and how painful that was also at the age of 13 he had to drop out of school get a job take care of the family. So he would tell me these stories and I would be so sad for him so that is why I call it inherited pain because you inherited it from your parents. Also, I had a near death experience where I was sleeping was being pulled towards a light. It was extremely bright and I was going very fast towards that light so I don’t know what was going on with me. I have not been ill, but for some reason, I was dying and I was being pulled towards the light and I said no no I don’t want to go. I had my family. I didn’t want to leave my family my children and at that time already had some grandchildren I did not want to leave my babies, but there became a voice of a man a deep voice Strong loud that said if you don’t want to go, then you need to change things in your life so go back and make those changes. And then I went back to my body and I woke up. I knew it was not a dream. I knew I had a near death experience and God, the creator sent me back so I could make those changes in my life that I needed to make. I didn’t think I was a bad person, but I had a temper and I realized I had a lot more I needed to do with my life, but my life was not over that there was a purpose in my life. I needed to be there for my family and also I worked in a children’s shelter and worked with children that had been abused and had an imposter care. So that was my life and I tried harder for that day forward because I knew that I had something that the creator wanted me to do so I don’t think I’m finished yet. I’m 72 years old. I was only in my 30s at the time so I worked hard to do the things that I should do but thank you for sharing your story like I said my story was similar to yours. You had a lot more abuse than I did but the alcohol that destroyed people in my family was there. I had experimented with drugs I smoke weed but the only thing I’ve ever done to abuse myself is to overheat and I still have that problem so it’s something I’m trying to work on but it’s a lifelong process but again thank you I appreciate your story.
My childhood was a lot like yours, but yours was much worse but the relatives drinking and having to care for younger siblings, taking care of the house, trying to make money wherever I could was the same. I did not have the abuse that you had. I did have situations for men would do things to me against my will. I married as a teenager and had a child by the time I was 17 I am so sorry for everything that you went through. Thank you for your story. You should write a book and they should do a movie about you and your family in your life. It’s quite an eye-opener we all hear about the way Native American children were treated and the way alcohol became something that destroyed the native nation. God bless you.
One of the best nde story I've heard❤❤
But what was your job?
Thank you so much for sharing.Good bless you ,I hope you find peace,
❤❤❤
Fix the feed please. TY…
For whatever reason, each time I try to listen to this, it stops playing… 😢 Any other video I can watch, this one gets stalled during the feed. 🤔
Beautiful story ❤❤❤ alcohol and drugs are all apart of the cycle of this life and the hurts that killed our spirit… so we know what’s is better for us with true light
Is this an nde??? I thought I was watching a documentary on the evils of the white man.
Miigwech/hy'shqe for sharing your story my relative.
I am Vah Ki Akimel O’odham living in Old Snaketown Village. I crossed over 4 times and coming back is by far my most painful experience.
I am so sorry. Your beautiful culture was clearly harmed by the Catholic Church and its was horrible what they did to your culture
Thank you for sharing
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE. GOD BLESS YOU 🙏🏽 SO MUCH PAIN AND YET YOU ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF GOD'S LOVE AND BEAUTY💕🙏🏽🥰
Thank you sister for your journey and lesson. We are stronger because of it
Beautiful story, beautiful account, and wonderfully told.
What a Beautiful, Beautiful Lady. I wish you Peace and Joy for the rest of your life. Be Safe, Be Well and Be Blessed Beautiful Lady. You have earned your place amongst us as an Earth Angel. I love you. ❤ 🙏
16:57 near death story doesn't start until 17 minutes…
Thank you so much for sharing your powerful life experience❤.
What a lovely woman-❤
Jesus loves you so much. Thank you for sharing your story.
♥️🙏🏽Thank You Ms Sharon for inspiring us all to live with lots of love to ourselves, so we can love others. You told your amazing story so beautifully, as beautiful as you are. Sending you much more love, healing, peace, and wellness in your beautiful heart.
One of the most beautiful soul I had the honor to encounter ❤🎉
Thank you for sharing your experiences in life. I hear your words forgiveness is hard for me I am trying to forgive like you said for myself. Thank you
I have a similar story here but in a USA with my Tribe in Nebraska from 2018-2022. marijuana
Woow✨, I had no idea what to say♥️
Love her smile, you can just feel her happiness her feeling of love she experienced
Just W❤W ✨💕💖🥰
I’m a Cree fr Alberta nd I’m still dealing with my problem. Nd still asking for help. This is so hard.
thank you for sharing , please pray for me , i'm a rotten sinner ,Amen
Thank you so much for your experience ❤ It's so powerful and meaningful. I needed to hear it ❤
5 stars
No, when you die, you disolve, there's nó afterlife!!!! These people are appearantly are wellpaid actors & actresses ok?????! You all wánt this to be real because of your fear of death!!!!
♥️