https://www.rainn.org/statistics (Statistics state that every 98 seconds someone in the US is sexually assaulted. And every 8 minutes that victim is a child.) This is my story of sexual abuse and how I overcame what happened to me when I was a kid. It’s raw, unedited and in many ways still very painful to tell. You’ll probably be able to tell in the audio times when I was having a hard time getting words out. I apologize for the delivery but the message is important. I choose to record it today because Chester Bennington from the band Linkin Park committed suicide yesterday. They are a favorite of mine and I’ve been listening to them for a long time. He had often spoken about being sexually abused as a kid and his story was eerily similar to mine. When I heard he passed it really shook me. It spurred me to record this podcast- one that I’ve wanted to for a very long time but couldn’t bring myself to do until today. My sincerest hope in recording this podcast is that it helps one person. I hope the vast majority of you turn it off in the beginning because it just doesn’t apply to your life. For those of you that it does I hope that by telling you my story it helps in some way. The episode is broken down into: My story - what happened, when & where and what I felt and lost as a result

What didn’t work for me- how I tried to manage it (unsuccessfully)

What DID work for it- the steps and actions I took to recover

Adice for you if you’ve had a similar experience or someone close to you has

I hope this podcast is helpful. *This podcast is dedicated to my Mom, my Dad and Tom. Thank you for always being there and for the love and support you’ve given me unequivocally everyday of my life. Links: https://www.rainn.org/ (RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline)