I worked as Public Health Consultant in Nigeria for 17 years. Sometime in August 2006 a young girl (22 y) was at my door crying and asking for help. She came to Nigeria from Russia to visit her father and brother she hasn’t seen since her Mom escaped from her Nigerian father. Her elder brother was left behind. She grew up in Russia and when her mother died of brain cancer she decided to look for her family in Nigeria. After few weeks her passport was ceased by her Dad and brother and she was kept at home for 5 month till a lady, who knew me and had a shop near by helped her. She was a very pretty girl and her family wanted to marry her out to a rich man enable them to sell her property in Moscow and share the money. By interfering into family affairs I would have exposed myself to a great danger, but same time I was her only hope. Being a Mother I imagined my own daughter in the same situation and I allowed her to stay. Within 3 days I contacted Russian Embassy, made arrangements for traveling documents and ticket and saw her off at the airport on the way to Russia. My life was at risk for 3 month, I received treats, my car was damaged 2 times and I had to inform authorities and get police protection till I left the country. She calls me Mom now and I am blessed to find a second daughter, who is so dear to me. I am so glad to have courage to help someone in need.

In reference to S. Conti: Is it self esteme,—do you think?, or is it deeper,as a fear, and too far into the dark (or prehistory) to dare the trek? Ya know, the bogyman? What, I wonder took away the fire that caused women to be subservient, and good men to ignor it even though it isn’t to their benefit? (I wonder later in the night and spook myself!)

This is an interesting point to look back over your life from! There are too many to list but here are some: I was raised in a NY Projects. My mother was alcoholic, my father was gone. I raised my son alone. I have held many jobs for which I wasn’t qualified when I was hired. But truly the most dangersous thing I have ever done, is to look at myself as only I know me, and to accept her!

the most dangerous thing i did was get involved with an abusive man. 6 years of living hell that i still get nightmares 40 years after the fact. Jan

The most dangerous thing I have ever done was having unprotected sex with the balloon operator in Kenya, Africa. I was so flattered by his flirtation with me that I lost my mind and my moral judgement was severely impaired. I knew the minute it was over, I became paralyzed with fear, anxiety coursing through my veins but it was too late for fear. Where was my fear when I in the throws of lust? I tried to reach the guy later, once I arrived back in LA, still shattered by my stupidity and the realization that I might have just killed myself. I did finally get ahold of him, only to ask him to reassure me that he was clean and had been tested for HIV. I ran to my doctor and immediately got tested, had to wait 6 very long months, unable to sleep and when I did sleep, I dreamed the same dream all over again and again. Africa, I thought, the seat of HiV - how needy to be loved was I? Glad to be here to tell the tale and hope that someone else can learn from my experience. Don’t ever think “this can’t happen to me”. Never say never.

My experiences are similar to Joan Ganz Cooney. At the age of 17 I got into a car with my friends headed for a museum 50 miles away. I found out half way there that the driver (my best friend) was on Acid. Years later,obviously not learning my lesson, I met and eventually married my alcoholic ex-husband. That in itself was dangerous! It is indeed a miracle that Joan and I are still on the planet!

Almost getting hit by a supertanker at 3am in a 64 foot wooden sailboat. My heart races just thinking about it. SES http://www.metalcyberspace.com

I’d tell you but I’d have to use my real name. Anyway, I couldn’t say it better than this: “As for danger, I think I’ve done a number of dangerous things, but they don’t have to do with a felt sense of physical danger; more with the chances you take in terms of your faith or your work, acts or writings that can draw unwanted attention, or hostility, or opposition. Sometimes you just have to do those things, at risk of not being who you are.”

I spent 1967 in Vietnam—I survived a bullet in my left kidney and a piece of Chinese or Russian metal stuck in my spine at T1—since then I have led a sane life.

The most dangerous thing I did in 1965 when I came to the U.S. without knowing a soul and having only $100 in my pocket, because I naively went on a shopping spree first. I eventually became a U.S. citizen and have loved being here since day one, hardship and all……

I’ve done some things..repelling, whitewater, walking poverty stricken neighborhoods overeseas. snowmobiles, medal to the metal on a highway late at night, motorcycles..but to me that was all the part of life called learning how to live, laugh.With all of that I always made sure I had trust with the people I was with. However, the most dangerous thing I ever did was to trust, I mean truly trust a superior boss when she told me everything would be alright regarding my closed head injury and my fear of driving to work in rush hour. That it and I would be ok because 8:30 was so important to her new position status even though I knew better. After 8 years, how could I not trust this person like a mother? That was the most dangerous..I now trust no one….Not even my mother.

It’s not because I don’t want to, it’s because the superior was just telling a lie….I could have died one morning, and the sad part…she never even sent a get well card — a termination letter, a box of some of my things that people had picked through and stole what they wanted. I do enjoy reading all of your other comments…thank you all.

Marry my last husband, it’s taken 10 years to recover. A lesson well learned.