Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 243

Tonight's SPECIAL GUEST is Johnna Janis of San Diego. Ms Janis is working with an award winning filmmaker Sergio Myers to produce a documentary based oh her life as a survivor of child sexual abuse. "Invisible Scars" is a woman's story of hope, healing, and resiliency. During this inspirational journey, she reveals the invisible scars that have negatively impacted her throughout her life. Like many other women and men, she was abused by people she trusted at various points in her life. At 5 she was traumatized for the first time, ruining her self esteme. In high school she was assaulted again. "Within months, I entered into a relationship with a much older man and dropped out of school," she says. He eventually became the father of her three children, but Johnna spent eleven years emotionally abused and manipulated in the marriage, battling depression, anxiety, fear, and guilt. "I felt ashamed about my past, unhappy with my present, and unworthy of a future. It nearly destroyed me. Fortunately, the love of my children gave me the inspiration to survive." Her documentary will explore the journey she and other child abuse victims travel. On the outside she is a mother, daughter, wife, and friend who appears strong and confident. However, on the inside she has struggled with acknowledging and accepting the ugly and shameful truths of her past that have haunted her for most of her life.