As a victim of childhood sexual abuse myself, I know full well the devastation it can do to your life. I spent nearly thirty years doing everything humanly possible to maintain “my secret”…All that managed to accomplish was to fill me with hate, anger, shame, and frustration. What most people do not know about abuse and neglect is that it doesn’t have a shelf life. The sad reality is if you continue to carry your “secrets” and you refuse to get help those “secrets” just continue to eat at you and fester like an open sore that refuses to heal. There is a reason that it is said that abuse and neglect affects everybody because frankly it does and I am living proof of that fact. I went on in my life full of all that anger and frustration until I made some horrible choices and decisions which landed me in federal prison for nearly eighteen years for a large financial crime. Simply put, my story is far too common. For during those nearly eighteen years, I have witnessed the horrors of abuse and neglect up close and personal and frankly why abuse and neglect affects all of us.

Here is a reality that the world needs to know and understand….”Hurting people…hurt people”…The sheer number of men and women that are incarcerated in this country is troubling. But the incredibly high percentage of those incarcerated that were the victims of abuse and neglect is frightening. Thank God there are organizations like EndCAN that truly “get it “.

 I am a very blessed man. I have been fortunate enough to have been reached out to by an amazing woman named Lori Poland. Her love and non-judgmental attitude has not only positively affected my life…it has literally changed it. It takes an amazing organization and an even more amazing individual to look past people’s faults and failures to see the inherent good inside of us all. Thank you EndCAN..Thank you Lori Poland.

 What advice would you give to encourage others?

 Don’t ever be ashamed or afraid to seek help…it literally may save your life.

• Terry, Survivor