Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2846

Tonight's special guest is Maryellen Spoonhower from a small rural community in upstate New York, a returning NAASCA family member. "I married young and divorced young," she says. "I often found the strength to get by in the eyes of my four beautiful children. Now adults, they continue to be my greatest blessing." She goes on, "Have you ever asked yourself 'How is it that family members can perceive their childhood so differently?' I grew up with 5 siblings. If you were to ask them to describe our upbringing they would tell you a story of life in the country with many happy experiences, raised by a father who loved and cared for his children." But Maryellen's story is quite different. "As a very young girl my mother drove away leaving me to the hands of the man who ripped my childhood from me and tore at my soul with years of sexual abuse. I lived in fear and shame." As a child she internalized it. "There must have been something wrong we me. I thought I must not have been as valuable as my siblings. I was not deserving of being loved or protected." After many years of counseling, education and her own experience, she now knows the effects of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). She says, "The list is lengthy and not limited to, depression, anxiety, abandonment, relationship issues, grief, eating disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, and a life of constant vigilance. The fact is I got through it and I know how to impart hope and a sense of strength in others!" Maryellen wants to help. "I have a voice and I will share my story." We can prevent other innocent children from acts of violence that touch the depth of their soul. "Every child should have the chance to be the beautiful spirit they were meant to be."