Dr. Emad Rahim was born in a concentration camp in Cambodia. His father was killed there. His brother died of starvation. His mother escaped with him to a refugee camp, then to Brooklyn — into Sunset Park in the 1980s at the height of the crack epidemic — where Emad was shot in the leg as a child while playing with friends. Strangers from the neighborhood pooled money from their pockets and saved his life. His stepfather was abusive. He ran at 12 or 13 with $40 and was homeless in Syracuse. He stole cars to help his mother keep the lights on after she finally got the abuser out. A school counselor told him in 10th grade she couldn't see a path for him to graduate.

And then a vice principal named Mr. Darnell pulled him into a hallway and said: meet me halfway. I will too.

In this episode of Truthfully, Tracy, Emad shares his full story — the survival, the grief, the homeless nights behind the bushes of a church on James Street, the healing that came decades later through therapy after panic attacks finally forced him to stop and look in the mirror. He talks about the judge who caught him stealing a car and sent him to volunteer instead of juvenile detention. The comic book store owner on Salina Street who let a cold, bullied kid stay warm without ever asking for anything. The community that gave him second chances he had no reason to expect. And why he came back to Syracuse — because this city saved his life, and he intends to return the favor.

This is what it looks like when someone refuses to let their beginning be their ending.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: [INSERT YOUTUBE LINK]
🌐 EmadRahim.com | 📱 @dremadrahim

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Truthfully, Tracy is a CNY podcast dedicated to real conversations with real people. New episodes every week.