In her new book Forgetting To Be Afraid, Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis revealed that her mother once tried to kill herself and her children, including Davis, while battling depression after her divorce.
The Texas gubernatorial candidate discussed that incident, and her feelings toward her mother afterward, during a HuffPost Live interview Tuesday.
At the time of her divorce, Davis's mother was in her 20s, with three children under the age of 5. Davis said in an interview with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts that her mother put the children in the trunk of her car and planned to start the car in the closed garage.
But before she could act, a neighbor came over, and Davis's mother eventually abandoned her suicide attempt. Davis was about a year old at the time, and told HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski that she didn't remember it.
"[My mother] told me for the first time probably when I was in my 20s, and then last year, when my father was in the hospital fighting for his life -- he lost that battle -- my mother recounted that story to all of us again," she explained. "And for me, it was an important part of her journey to hear. Obviously she battled with depression, she was able to come through on the other side. We had an angel who entered our lives that day, truly, and I think had he not come to our home that day, I wouldn't be sitting here."
Davis said that she had forgiven her mother completely for the incident.
"My mother shared that story with us I think so that we would better understand her," she said. "I think she wanted us to see in her that she was able to overcome a great deal of struggle in order to do what she had to do for us. Every day of our lives, my mother did what she needed to do for her four children. She truly did."