“I think repressing what happened is what saved me in my childhood. I was able to use my imagination to create happy events, but a little girl can carry only so much on her own.” — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“I lived through this horror, and no one can tell me I have to stay quiet. "I have been silenced long enough, and I… — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“I felt like I needed to comfort both the little girl inside me and my mother, assuring them that neither of them could have… — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“She was so upset about a blog that maybe a total of six people read yet had no compassion for her granddaughters who had suffered the physical and emotional pains of sexual abuse and whose lives were changed forever. The two cannot even be compared, yet when someone is in denial about what happened, they cannot perceive what is true.… — Erin Merryn Copy Share
“Hiding my pain and acting strong, afraid to cry and show my tears, I struggle with all this years later.” — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“Along with the trust issues, one of the hardest parts to deal with is the feeling of not being believed or supported, especially by your own grandparents and extended family. When I have been through so much pain and hurt and have to live with the scars every day, I get angry knowing that others think it is all made… — Erin Merryn Copy Share
“So often parents of abused children feel helpless. When a child falls, and scrapes her knees parents can erase the hurt by kissing it and putting a Band-Aid on it, but not so with the pain of sexual abuse.” — Erin Merryn Copy Share
“Imagine the message that sent to my sister and me. A cousin violates us, confesses, and walks away with barely a slap on the… — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“Because it is so hard, some people wait until they are in their thirties, forties, fifties, or even older before breaking their silence.” — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“Though no longer living in silence, I continued to carry pain and memories.” — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“As I faced each tragedy in my life, I learned to reach into the depth of my soul for strength and determination. Through this… — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
“My goal in going public was not to put my extended family to shame, or to get back at Brian for abusing my sister… — Erin Merryn Copy Share Image
