My husband was brutally and violently raped by the taxi driver who was trusted to take him to school – a friend of his Grandfather. He was 12 and grew up in Lebanon. I was the first person he told and he was 45. He suffered in silence using alcohol and gambling to numb the pain. He suffered many bouts of depression, suicide attempts and finally cancer, which took his life 3 years ago. We have three wonderful kids, had good jobs, and a loving family but he could not be a dad to the kids. He was very intelligent, a natural leader and so full of potential, but this tortured him his whole life. He finally went for help and had a little peace before he died. He went back to Lebanon, very sick, but like Linor he had to face the places where it happened and ask his parents if they knew (they did), and why they didn’t help or protect him. They said they thought he would just get over it. It took so much courage and strength and I was proud of him . I write his story to show that the crime has many victims that reach across generations. My kids had an absent dad and I had an angry distant husband I couldn’t understand. His parents had a son they gave up on at the tender age of 12 when he should have been full of life. He came back from that trip a little more at peace and we had the best and last year together.. He loved and is loved.
Thank you Linor for your tremendous courage. I hope rapists learn the terrible damage they do and victims need not be alone.
What a beautiful and honest tribute to your husband. Thank you for honesty and for telling your husband’s story. I am so glad he was able to go back to Lebanon and that it offered him some peace in his final year. The demons that haunt survivors are very very real and can leave lasting scars. Know that even if he wasn’t able to be present and even though he was angry, your love moved mountains for him. Linor certainly has tremendous courage, but please don’t underestimate the courage that you so very clearly have. Light and love to you and your beautiful family.