Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1523

Tonight's special guest is Barbara Myers-Pressley from Copperas Cove, Texas, who was physically, mentally and sexually abused by her biological father. It lasted until her parents divorced. "The abuse would be done in the dark of the night or while my family was away," Barbara says. "He even took me on out of town trips when he was required to go for his employment. I always wondered why my mother never asked any questions, as to why are you taking her with you. I believe she knew I was being abused, but we were all terrified of him and she didn’t do anything." That's because her abuser was also a volunteer Sheriff’s Deputy. Barbara eventually joined the military in 1989 and never looked back. She has not seen her father since she was 16 years old, and has no desire to have a relationship with him. "I have a strained relationship with my mother," Barbara explains. "During the years she has not come to terms with the fact that I was abused by the man that she loved and married." But things are looking up now, as Barbara finally sought help in the past couple of years. "Three things have helped me with this process. One is having a good support system, my husband, mother, grandmother, and friends. Two, was seeking professional help. I was prescribed medications for the anxiety the abuse has only intensified. And lastly, I wrote down each and every act that my abuser did to me." Barbara always thought she was the only one but reports that he was eventually convicted for sexually assaulting another child, spent some time in prison and is now a registered sex offender. In 2005 her brother confessed that he was also abused by their father. Barbara writes. "I am finally free, I have told the family secret, his secret."