Ellyn Sanna was twelve years old when she went on a camp­ing trip to New England with her family. Four children and two parents were packed inside the family car. The tent was stowed away on top of the vehicle traveling from site to site. Each night they set up camp as the light faded. She tells that there were many happy memories from that vacation, but there was also the deep feeling of loneliness and being misunderstood.

She was the youngest of the four children and too young to go on the long hiking trips with the other siblings, yet too old to be happy staying behind with her mom and dad. It was an awkward age and she felt painfully aware of her physical appearance. At night she would huddle alone at the picnic table resentful and mis­erable as she watched groups of teenagers walk by…