Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 1808

Tonight's special guest is Terri Lanahan from Butte, Montana, an adult survivor of child abuse, incest, sibling abuse and domestic abuse. Now she's NAASCA secretary and coordinates our new Ambassador program. Terri grew up with ah alcoholic father, and an especially violent mother. "I watched her pull knives and guns on my dad," she says. At the same time she suffered violent abuse at the hands of her older brother. When she was 3, Terri began to be sexually abused by her babysitting uncle. "I started drinking and doing drugs at the beginning of my teen years," Terri tells me. "At 15 I began to be molested by another uncle. Also at 15 I cut my wrist." She continues, "I told my mom about the earlier molestation. She said she knew something had happened to me, and thought it was my dad. I couldn't get past the thought that she knew and did nothing to stop it." Terri would go on to attempt suicide several times. She married at 18 and quickly had children, briefly sobering up for the pregnancies. "At 26 I had my first flashback which led me to jail and then finally to treatment," Terri says. "I thought I was losing my mind. They put words to my insanity. I began to talk about the abuse." It took a while, but she now has what she describes as 'an amazing life'. She gives back in numerous ways. Her poetry has been well received on Facebook and she's author of the book 'Hear My Voice'. "I am a voice for the voiceless," she says. "My biggest struggle was always the isolation, so I want others to know they don't have to go through this alone. There is help and hope. Please reach out and tell somebody."