Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2440

Tonight's special guest is Hilda Thomasine Wren from Frederick, Maryland, an abuse survivor and author of the book 'A Plain Brown Wren'. The autobiography is a true story about a child growing up in a household of terror from alcoholics, drug addictions and a aunt who had her postituting at age 12. She was sexually, verbally, emotionally and physically abused by many who were all adults and no one intervened on her behavior. Hilda says, "My childhood was very hard, because of the alcoholic parents and the physical, emotional and sexual abuse from my stepfather. This was confusing, causing me to be angry, depressed and in rage all the time. He would touch me inappropriately. I lived with this until I left home at 18 years." She goes on, "I was prostituting for my stepfather’s sister and making money to help feed and clothe her 6 children. I soon learned how to disassociate from the entire situation while having sex with these men." Hilda lived in a world of people who drank, took advantage of her and used her as a sex object. She turned to God in 1974, by praying sometimes three times a day in her closet. Hilda suffered from depression, anger, rage and confusion. "After a year of not going to my aunt’s house I joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church." But her real healing began later in adulthood once she had a nervous breakdown at work and was told to have a psychological evaluation. "After a lot of different medications, talk therapy with the psychiatrist and a therapist, classes with my pastor on forgiveness and childhood traumas and lots of prayer can I truthfully say, I am healed and I can now help, advocate and comfort others who have suffered from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse."