"In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending. I feel real. I'm not playing charades anymore. I wouldn't go back to the way I was for anything. I'm really like a different person. I'm where I am, and I'm making the most of it. I know I'm courageous now. I found out I had it in me to face this. — Barbara"
hope healing authentic-self recovery face-your-fears survivors abuse-survivors true-self healing-journey healing-abuse real-self charades child-abuse-survivor child-abuse-survivors deciding-to-change feel-alive gave-your-fears-choice healing-from-abuse hope-and-disappointment new-me recovery-from-abuse