Message to a Survivor
It is hard. I am only 20 and I wake up from nightmares of my abuser. It has taken me almost 6 years to be able to let a grown man give me a hug without flinching. But it does happen, and it does get easier. Living in fear is not the way to live your life. You also have to forgive. Staying angry at your abuser hurts you more than it will ever hurt them.
Message of Healing
Healing for me was knowing that as an adult now, those men will never be able to hurt me again. I gained my strength back. I learned to trust men in my life and cope when I felt weaker than ever.
I was 5 the first time my mother's foster brother touched me because we were "playing a game". I did not realize it was wrong until I was 1o. That man touched me from 5-8. The worst part about that was that my mother told me I was a liar because I did not remember all the little details. Then from ages 11-15 my stepdad raped me almost every day. I told my mother and again nothing was done to the next man that took my privacy and innocence away. These two men are still out there living their lives while I suffer.