My earliest memory is sexual abuse.

I was only 3 years old when my mother handed me over to her boyfriend for his sexual pleasure.

He touched me and made me give him oral sex.

My earliest memory represents the reality of the rest of my childhood.

My mother hated me, and that only grew as I did.

I spent my years abused and neglected repeatedly hearing her favorite words to say to me:

“you are worthless and you always will be. You think you’re all that, but you will never be anything but a whore.”

I had my first child at age 14 and I raised him.

I grew up to be a mother who created a safe, loving environment for my own children.

I am a foster parent, a child abuse prevention counselor, and a staunch advocate for those most vulnerable.

What happened to you does not define you.

What your abusers said to you or about you does not define you.

What happened to you was not your fault.

You are valuable.

You are worthy of love and safety.

And you are capable of thriving in this life.