Do I sound like a strong person?

I think you are STRONG and getting stronger. You have your whole life in perspective. You know what went wrong and you are already taking the steps to fixing the damage. There are many people who come out a better person from a hard life. Just imagine the kind of person you would be if everything was perfect in your life. You would not have this need to help people and you probably wouldn't have the intuitive perspective on life that you have now. What hurts us only makes us stronger. I think you are doing a marvelous job.