Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 858

Tonight's special guest is Lisa Kelly from California, a gang-style date rape survivor and blogger at BreakingMySilence: A Story of Hope and Healing. "I grew up in Virginia by Christian parents who loved each other," she writes. "My Dad was around but was a distant father .. he suffered from untreated depression and came across as an angry person. He scared me and I made many bad decisions in order to get attention from him. That vulnerability and desperation for male attention made me a prime target to get taken advantage of. I ended up in abusive situations and ultimately raped." She says, "I am a survivor of acquaintance rape or the more familiar term would be “date rape.” I was first raped at 16 yrs old on my first Valentine’s Day date. After the first rape my light dimmed and I began to hate myself. My confidence turned to shame and embarrassment. I wanted to escape the pain I felt so I went to drinking alcohol. Drinking and partying led to more bad decisions and I was raped again by my boyfriend at the time and his friend. They took turns having sex with me while I was passed out. After this happened it lead to me starving myself and going on diets and drinking and partying even more. I wanted to control something so I controlled my weight in an unhealthy way." She concludes, "I thought that moving away from my problems would solve them. I continued my partying lifestyle living in this new place where no one knew me; I felt a false sense of freedom. At the age of 25 I went out on a date and I was raped again. It wasn't until God stepped into my life did I begin to heal and find true freedom from my past. Here I am today using God’s strength and encouragement to speak out and break my silence in hopes of helping other survivors!"