Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2386

Tonight's special guest is Angela Hyman from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Angela is joining us for the first time and is a survivor of childhood incest. She was adopted by her paternal grandparents, grew up on a working farm in very rural South Carolina. As a young child, she was very loved and protected, until her grandmother became ill when Angela was 11. Angela went to live with her much older, married sister who lived in New Jersey. She was sexually abused for about 4 years by her sister’s husband, who was also a police officer. “I never told a soul, not one, nobody,” Angela says. "I KNEW if my grandfather ever found out someone was going to die, and I wasn't so sure it was going the be 'the bad guy'. I did the almost typical stuff: I began acting out, ran away from home, began drinking, drugging, etc. Married at 19, for 12 years, divorced since 1989 and even he never knew. Of course, I avoided addressing it until everything fell apart in my marriage and my little world. This thing that had happened, that I had no control over, had affected every area of my life, every relationship, work, personal, family, etc., and now it just wouldn't stop. Binge drinking, lost job, in middle of big, messy, nasty divorce.” Angela had been attending AA meetings before she moved to South Florida. The first time she ever talked about 'it' was working the steps with an AA sponsor. Angela saw MANY counselors but would always stop after 1 or 2 sessions, until she finally connected with two counselors: the first for almost 1.5 years before she moved, and the last counselor for over 8 years. Angela admits her “life has been a roller coaster. Probably still need a LOT more [counseling] too, in all reality.”