Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1391

Tonight's special guest is Sherry DiFonzo from Pennsylvania, a child abuse survivor and adopted mom. This will be her first time sharing her story with us, and we are grateful for her contribution. She tells me she's nervous, but we know Sherry, who's been an active member of our NAASCA Facebook groups, will do a fine job. For one thing there's a lot of material to cover. Traumatized in her youth, Sherry's concerned that her actions now will impact the emotional growth of her son. She's determined to heal herself so that she can be a better mother and wife. Sherry was abused both at home and at school. "I lived with emotional and physical abuse, and molestation," she says. "My abusers ranged from my mother, teachers and other family members and a neighbor. Since I had abuse both at home and at school I had no one to talk to, so everything went inside." Early adulthood offered her no escape. She ended up living at home. Sherry struggled with trying to get ahead, but eventually fell into debt. "I had bad relationships and loneliness thrughout my young adult life," she says. "I knew where I stood in the family order. I seemed to be watching life from the sidelines." Eventually Sherry got training to have a better career and she began to get ahead. Married in 2005, she and her husband adopted a child six years later. "I became a stay-at-home mom. That was when my past started to catch up to me." After an incident that happened with her son Sherry knew she needed help. "This was my 3rd attempt at seeking medical help for my issues." She's working on herself now, grateful to her son. "If it wasn't for him I probably would have never been back to therapy."