Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1718

Tonight's special guest is Darcy M. Heyd from Honor, Michigan, the youngest of six children and a survivor of childhood rape and incest. "When my mother was still pregnant with me we were abandoned by my mentally ill father," Darcy reports. "As a 4 year old I survived rape and trauma by my oldest brother, and at age 8 I was molested by my grandfather." When she learned of the rape, her mother told Darcy, "You should never tell anyone else what happened because they will take you away and you will never see mama again." When she was told about the molestation by her grandfather, she said, "Don't worry, he doesn't mean anything by it." Darcy's brother ended up in prison for the kidnapping and raping a young girl. "My mom didn't want me around, as I was her shame. She would often leave me and force me to stay with various families from our church," she explains. In a six year period she was placed with six different families." The emotional abandonment by Darcy's mother began a life time of confusion, chaos, shame, self-doubt, and fear. The people who should have been protecting her had not. She struggled for years with being able to hold down a consistent job. Darcy used food to self-medicate and reached nearly 350 lbs. "One of our biggest enemies with the epidemic of sexual abuse is the silence of mothers, sisters and other caregivers," she says. "This is where I intend to focus most of my energy as an advocate and fighter for victims." In recovery, Darcy has a successful business (Brick House Productions), is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children and serves as the Michigan Ambassador for NAASCA.