Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 806

Tonight's special guest is Roberto Santiago from Florida, a child abuse survivor and activist who's also a Life Coach. He won an Emmy for his part in the documentary "shhhhhh .. a story of a boy and recovery". Roberto was born in 1969 and raised in a Puerto Rican home in a multi-cultural neighborhood in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was the youngest of three boys, and he spent most of his life in a community where addiction, abuse and gang violence was common place. A victim of childhood sexual abuse, Roberto's life path became riddled with addiction. To not feel the hurt, to quiet the voices that continued to haunt him, Roberto spent his teen years until early adulthood battling a very serious addiction to drugs. It wasn't until 1990, when Roberto decide to leave a culture and neighborhood so familiar to him, that his journey toward healing began. His struggle to get clean, his sexual abuse healing work, provides HOPE for other who battle similar pain. His testimony is one of courage, brave truth and triumph. Through speaking and mentorship Roberto shares his own personal pain and his intensive perseverance to find peace. He's also writing a book. "Now I'm living a life of transparence," he says, "and I'm not afraid of who / what I am nor what I've gone through. I'll talk about anything .. my healing process, dealing with my sexuality, how I've approached child rearing and how I've overcome the feeling of being ostracized and alone." Roberto invites you to contact him by email at: santiagoroberto@bellsouth.net