Christina Burkenroad once wore a brilliant disguise. On the outside: An athletic, cool surfer-girl from San Diego. On the inside: A scared and wounded child.
Her mind was a mess with dark themes of death, homelessness, depression, drugs and suicidal thoughts. To escape, she'd go catch a wave or bounce a soccer ball and play pretend, trying to mask her pain. She felt alone in her conflicted universe, thinking no one cared if she lived or died.
"Nobody knew," she said of her life back then. "Nobody knew at all. That's not really something to flaunt. … But you really don't know someone's story until you're curious about it and you ask.