There is so much trauma he caused me

Finding this foundation really was meant to be, thinking about coming out about my story to many has been very scary. As Lori stated in her first podcast, I am one of many. The first man you love, grow to love, and is supposed to be there for every step of the way is what most kids call Dad. My birth father has always had a short temper and grew an alcohol addiction. Being a young parent isn’t easy, but growing up with young parents made it very hard. It started with marital abuse against my mother. Then it turned to “spanking” but spanking wasn’t just a slap on the butt and being told don’t do that again. It was whipping with the belt against your glutes, it was kneeling against the wall for time out for hours out of the day, it was verbal abuse and being told that you will never get away from him because you’re always going to need him. This went on for many years. A lot of families knew what was going on but they turned a blind eye. Family being obviously on his side of the family. I remember my little sister, went pee on herself and he just beat her because she made a mistake. My brother trying to learn how to ride a bike, he couldn’t balance himself so he was taken inside and slammed against the wall, and beaten on the couch because he couldn’t balance himself on the bike. He was only about 9 years old. Being a witness to everything he has done not only to my mother and siblings but the results of his beating on my behind/back. I remember one day I said something and I was just punched across the face. There is so much trauma he has caused to me that no one should ever go through. I hope to share this to show that you’re not alone and you are loved. I hope to become part of the change that this foundation is creating, to share my story and who I became as a person because of it. There is always more to someone’s story like there is to mine. It takes time to truly tell it all.

What advice would you offer to encourage others?

The advice I would give is to talk to friends, a teacher, or a coworker you can trust. Building a support system is something that will always help you feel not alone. It doesn’t always have to be family and you should never feel ashamed of what you have gone through. Allow this to make you a stronger person, share your story, and bring awareness.

Samantha Noyola, Survivor