Anonymous Story: Me Too

I am an incest survivor, no beating around the bush. I grew up thinking that all females were to offer sexual services to any man who is interested. It was a small Pennsylvania dutch countryside, with a farm, chickens, cows, etc. I remember walking home from school and just trying to figure out why I was so different from everyone else. My dad told me not to share, or we would get in trouble. Mom acted as though she was so extremely overworked and stressed all the time. I have 7 brothers and sisters, heck I thought I was their second mom. I cooked, cleaned and tended to the younger children when Mom was sleeping on the couch. My escape was school where I could watch others behaviors, always wondering why I was so different. I was so determined to escape the “hell hole” that I was raised in, so I enlisted in the Army when I was 17. The day after my 18th birthday, I was on a plane to Ft. Jackson, SC for basic training. It was a challenge, but I could handle it, I was pumped…I had freedom. I met husband in the unit, and remained there for 22 years, after which I was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. I believe this was a result of the abuse. I never felt rested, always on alert. I had a bone marrow transplant, my brother was my donor. The family rallied around me when I was sick, which I was grateful for. My father never visited me when I was hospitalized, maybe he felt responsible? Praise God, for allowing me to live longer, but my siblings are still in denial and protect my father.
Justice needs to prevail.