Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2483

Tonight's special guest is Joe Maxwel from Aurora, Texas, a child abuse survivor who struggles with depression, anxiety and CPTSD. "I'm currently seeing a therapist who has linked me to a psychiatrist that I'm waiting to see on the waiting list.," Joe says. "During the past few years my childhood has been the center of my mind and has been hard at times to cope." Joe has now found a community of people who courageously share their stories with each other. "I've shared my stories with them and they've been very supportive with me so my mood has improved.” At age 11 Joe moved to a new town and became friends with the adult neighbor next door. The friendly neighbor looked to live the perfect picture life, soon to be married. He befriended Joe. “One day missing my bus I went over, asking him if he could take me to school. He had Joe hide under the guest bed from his wife until she left for work. The man sexually assaulted Joe, and the abuse continued thru high school. "During school I also was sexually active with some other guys." Eventually Joe met a girl and began to build a relationship. But trauma hit again when he was raped by a male friend while intoxicated. "The perpetrator videoed us, and threatened to share it with my family and girlfriend. For 3 years I endured mental, physical and sexual abuse until I could no longer handle the trauma, losing my house and girlfriend. I walked away from everything." Joe is now under a doctor's care after being diagnosed with CPTSD. Tonight he'll courageously share his story with us. As a community of survivor's we need to welcome our men in with open arms and bring more awareness to male rape, creating a safe place to share their story. That's what NAASCA is about.