Survivor Stories

Sarah's Story

Sarah Ortiz is a mother, an advocate, a public speaker, and a survivor of child sexual abuse.

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Kaitlyn’s Story

Kaitlyn Urenda-Culpepper is a mother, a high school coach, a swimmer, and a survivor of child sexual abuse.

Tagged in: Athlete, Childhood sexual abuse, Teenage survivors

Bobbie’s Story

Bobbie Becerra is an author, storyteller, speaker, and a survivor of child sexual abuse (CSA).

Bobbie grew up in a strange world. Abuse was a regular occurrence. It was like an open secret – something known but not directly dealt with – and often explained as “just the way it is.”

Tagged in: Childhood sexual abuse, Writers

Josh’s Story

“Not everyone has a chance to write a book, but we need a place to tell our story; A place where the microphone is ours.”

Tagged in: LGBTQ, Male survivors, Therapy

Tiana’s Story

“Trust yourself. Know that you can. You are capable. You are stronger than you think.”

Tiana St. Clair is a singer, activist, backpacker, rockclimber, and a survivor of sexual violence.

Tagged in: College student, Forensic exam

Drew’s Story

“Living boldly and honestly is how we force places to accept us.”

Drew Perkoski is a student, activist, and a survivor of sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Tagged in: Campus assault, College student, Intimate partner sexual violence, Intimate partner violence, Intimate partner violence/physical abuse, Male survivors

Katherine’s Story

Katherine Gilyard is a journalist, writer, activist, and a survivor of sexual violence. “Being a survivor feeds everything I do.”

Tagged in: Black survivors, Campus assault

Jerome Whitehead is an author, husband, and survivor of multiple childhood sexual assaults. “When you’re groomed, you’re taught to keep secrets. You don’t even realize that you’re being groomed to keep secrets.”

Tagged in: Black survivors, Childhood sexual abuse, Grooming, Male survivors

Nelson’s Story

Nelson Hincapie is a husband, father, Colombian-American, and president and CEO of the Voices For Children Foundation. He is also a survivor of child sexual abuse. “I don’t think it’s talked about at all. I think that for heterosexual men to be abused in their childhood by adult males it is a source of great shame and deep wounds."

Tagged in: Barriers to disclosing, Childhood sexual abuse, Grooming, Latinx survivors, Male survivors, Religion, Seeking justice, Statute of limitations, Substance abuse, Therapy

Kaylee’s Story

Kaylee Conway was sexually abused by an extended family member. As with most children experiencing sexual abuse, she didn’t have the words to understand what was happening at the time. “To me, there was always this elephant in the room. I wanted to talk about it, but didn’t know how. I thought that because they didn’t ask, they didn’t want to talk about it. I blamed a lot of my extended family members for not bringing it up, but I wasn’t ready for that conversation either.”

Tagged in: Barriers to disclosing, Childhood sexual abuse, Giving back, How to support survivors, Incest, Seeking justice, Self-care, Therapy, Writers