My story begins when I was 6 years old. My babysitter had a brother who was in high school and my babysitter left me with him for long periods of time. He would take me for bike rides and we would end up in a barn. To this day I can smell that barn and him. This went on from the age of 6 to 11. I grew up in a time when this was not talked about. I did tell my Mom and she told me it happens to everyone. I understand this happened to her but I turned to drugs to numb the pain of not being able to have children. He did so much damage to me it was hard for me to let my husband touch me. I am working on having a healthy relationship. Thank you for allowing us survivors and thrivers speak about these horrible acts.
— Survivor, age 47
Dear survivor – thank you so much for sharing your story here. I’m really proud of you for working to have a healthy relationship and I think you were so strong to tell your mom at a time when things like this weren’t really talked about. I would encourage you to talk to a therapist about what you’re feeling; they can also help you work through having a healthy relationship. You probably spent a lot of time hiding what happened so it will probably take time and hard work to heal. But please know it’s not your fault and no matter how many people it happens to, that doesn’t at all invalidate your feelings or necessarily make it any easier. We are with you. Love, Alexis