Janet grew up on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. In her youth, she was an ambitious and self-reliant young girl who was not afraid to make tough choices. Maybe that’s because of growing up with alcohol where she came face to face with fear, neglect, and abuse.

It was a News Years Eve Thomas would never forget. It happened at the gang’s clubhouse. He tried to get drunk but he couldn’t. He tried to get high but he couldn’t. He became a spectator though to those who had, and what he saw deeply disturbed him. He was ashamed about what happened there…

Thomas grew up angry and bitter. He ended up spending time in the Manitoba Youth Centre where he got into a lot of fights. Because he was good at it, he was encouraged to get into boxing. It was an outlet for his anger. Eventually, he became a gang enforcer.