Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN - 755

Tonight's special guest is Judy Baldaccini from Pennsylvania, a survivor of abuse and author of a book called "Not One of Them" A Story of Adoption, Alcoholism & Abuse. She and her brother, both adopted, were both severely abused by a drunken, enraged father and a mother who hated them. Judy writes, "My case of child abuse was so severe I required over 10 surgeries to repair childhood damage. Doctor upon surgeon would inquire, 'Who did this to you, how'd this happen?' I've been through the ringer to be repaired. Every single day I've got horrific pain." Her brother, Jim, wasn't as lucky. He suffered permanent brain damage. She explains, "The cover of my book is actually what Jim wrote with his own blood, as he bled from ears and nose in his bedroom when Father finished with him one night. Mother stood in the doorway and said, 'Jack stop it, that's enough because tonight you may just kill him.' I often jumped in front of Father to try and stop him. My brother has been confined to a mental facility in NJ since age 17. He was born in 1957. Wish I could find him. I fear he is..." As bad as the physical abuse was for Judy, the psychological and emotional abuse, which continued for several decades, was even worse. From childhood well into adulthood, with a cult-like prevailing attitude, she was taught to believe she needed to "pay them back" for having adopted her. But Judy's story is not just about abuse and hatred. Its also about her immense willpower and strength to not let her childhood define her. Its about the miraculous recovery she made to take back her own life and acquire true freedom.