Content warning: substance abuse, suicidal ideation, domestic violence, child abuse, childhood sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sexual abuse.

Mike Sacks is a hockey player, telecommunications engineer, founder of the non-profit organization, Survivors for Change, and a true change-maker. Through Survivors for Change, it has become his personal mission to aide survivors of sexual abuse and assault in their journey of healing, alongside Kelly Gee, whose story has also been featured in What Came Next episodes 51 & 52. But before Mike was able to begin helping others, he had to come to terms with his own abuse and begin healing from his childhood experiences. In these episodes, Mike candidly shares about his struggles, the healing process, and what it’s like traversing the media in an attempt to improve procedures in the athletic world. The Broken Cycle Media team is deeply grateful for Mike’s time, energy, and the ability to amplify his efforts towards curating change for athletes around the world.

Resources:

Survivors for Change: https://www.survivorsforchange.org/

Survivors for Change on FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheS4C

WCN E51: [Kelly Gee] Against Big Odds // Part 1

WCN E52: [Kelly Gee] What Happens Next // Part 2

For additional resources and a list of related non-profit organizations, please visit http://somethingwaswrong.com/resources

Sources:

Goldberg, R. (2020, May 28). USA Hockey Pres. Jim Smith’s Handling of Alleged Sexual Misconduct Investigated. The Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2893866

Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes. (n.d.). Illinois General Assembly. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=073500050K13-202.2

Schulte, S. (2017, August 14). Illinois wipes out statute of limitations for child sex abuse. ABC13 Houston. https://abc13.com/illinois-sex-abuse-statute-of-limitations/2310638/

Strang, K. (2020, February 21). Former players say Chicago area hockey coach sexually abused them. The Athletic. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1591547/2020/02/21/former-players-say-chicago-area-hockey-coach-sexually-abused-them/