Oct 13
This episode is a little different from how I usually do things, but this story was so moving and has such a unique tie-in to ADHD, I knew I had to share it.
Renee Grewe, who is the granddaughter of two Holocaust survivors, recently received a translated copy of her grandfather's journal that details his capture and imprisonment by Nazi soldiers and his miraculous and courageous escape.
Renee believes that the details of her grandfather's escape are indicative of him having undiagnosed ADHD and that this was the very reason that he was able to survive all of it.
During our conversation, Renee shares about her own ADHD journey and how she moved past learned helplessness before reading sections of her grandfather’s journal, which details his imprisonment and harrowing escape and outlines the aspects of his story that show bravery, empathy, quick thinking, ingenuity, hope–all strengths of ADHD.
This story is so moving because, in all of the horror, there is something so hopeful and uplifting about it; it serves as a reminder that when we are really put to the test, it’s amazing what we can accomplish.
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"Instead of trying to work against yourself, figure out what works for you and start helping yourself and give yourself some grace."
- Renee Grewe
"I feel like I just was not mature until much later than most people. And I think that the military was a huge confidence boost, because here I am, I just failed out of college, I feel like a loser, and then I get accepted, I score so high I can pick whatever job I wanna do and I go through training and I'm recognized as a natural leader and put in leadership positions and then graduate with honors."
- Renee Grewe
"My biggest ADHD symptom is definitely the memory issues. And the way that it was explained to me is, it's not your fault, your brain's filing cabinet is virtually non-existent. So once I learned that and that weight lifted I was like, oh man, so this is why I'm so impulsive."
- Renee Grewe
- Renee shares her experience with ADHD and memory issues, mentioning that she struggles to remember things even two minutes later.
- Renee shares her experience with dyslexia and how she struggles with remembering phone numbers and social security numbers, despite having a steel trap memory in her youth.
- Renee is a surrogate who carried her friend's son without compensation, describing it as a "wonderful thing to do."
[26:08 - 47:04] Mental health, ADHD, and Family History
- Renee discusses her ADHD diagnosis and how it explained her memory issues and impulsive behavior.
- Renee shares her experience with ADHD and its impact on her family, including her husband and three children.
- Renee describes her experience in Dora concentration camp, where prisoners were forced to dig tunnels in the Rocky Mountains for a secret German operation.
- Renee Grewe hid under a train car during a Nazi search, feeling "close to death" but ultimately escaping.
- Renee describes her experience of walking alone in Germany during World War II, struggling to find food and shelter, and encountering other foreign workers.
- Renee Grewe and two Russian prisoners escape from a railroad track in Germany during WWII, using a clever method to maintain body warmth.
