Breaking the Silence: A Survivor by Experience is the story of my childhood, the silence I carried, and the responsibilities I assumed long before I was old enough to understand why.
My story begins at Canobie Lake in New Hampshire and follows my childhood into Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the 1950s and 1960s. There was family and love, but also alcoholism, sexual abuse, and a silence I did not know how to break.
I learned early to watch, listen, anticipate, and take care of those around me. Much of what was happening in my family was beyond my understanding, but I knew how to pay attention.
As I grew older, I began to understand what was happening to me and, eventually, found the strength to resist and speak.
Silence has a cost.
Breaking the Silence is the story of the child I was and the experiences that shaped the woman I became.