These are true experiences taken from interviews with adult survivors of abuse. They are all used with permission, but names have purposely been omitted to protect individual privacy.
These are not pretty stories. They are heart-wrenching, brutal, frightening, and ugly. In many cases, they are quite graphic and explicit in content, and these pages may not be suitable for young children or extremely sensitive readers.
My heart goes out to each of these people...people who, all too often, never really had childhoods or, even worse, endured childhoods that were too painful to remember. These are the survivors - the courageous and the victorious - who have fought against unbeatable odds and won. They have survived to tell their tale.
I chose the title, "Don't Say You Love Me" because all too often, these words are meaningless. Abused children are, sadly, betrayed by the behavior of many who claim to love them. It is this betrayal and the lack of trust which it generates that will often leave scars they must carry for the rest of their lives. Many adult survivors find themselves unable to truly love themselves or others in a healthy way. I know.....I am an adult survivor.

"I hid in the bathroom to eat lunch."
"I was so scared I couldn't move."
"The hardest thing for me are memories."
"Christmas is a time for miracles."
"It's a nameless, faceless terror."
"I don't know if I can be loved."
"I had to earn money any way I could."
"I could still smell the exhaust fumes."
"I can't break the code of silence."
"She handed me a razor blade."
"I didn't know what "pass out" meant."
"Why does it hurt so much?"
"I hinted, but no one beieved me."
"I feel sad for the little girl I was."