MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11253588/
On Friday night, she will lead the U.S. team into the opening ceremony of the Turin Games, proudly bearing the U.S. flag. She is no longer burdened, however, by the 20-year-old secret that she was sexually abused as a child.
After she competed in Salt Lake City in 2002 and underwent therapy, Witty went public with an account of how a trusted neighbor in suburban Milwaukee had abused her, starting at age 4 and continuing until she was 11 — and her subsequent feelings of guilt, an inability to trust people, awkwardness as a teenager, and serious depression.
Revealing the truth and talking about it openly — even though it sometimes makes adults “squirm in their chairs a little bit” — has changed her and helped other victims, she said.
“I enjoy everything about life right now — everything. I’m just really happy. I’m able to enjoy everything. I’m not depressed all the time and I’m not worried about anything, about myself or my appearance or things like that,” she said.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t my fault, and I’m just happy to share my story and help other people,” she said. “The ripple effect was incredible. I could not believe how many stories I got in return.”
Now she is a spokeswoman for child abuse awareness programs, telling children how “things can happen in your life but you can still go on to do great things.”
On Friday night, she will lead the U.S. team into the opening ceremony of the Turin Games, proudly bearing the U.S. flag. She is no longer burdened, however, by the 20-year-old secret that she was sexually abused as a child.
After she competed in Salt Lake City in 2002 and underwent therapy, Witty went public with an account of how a trusted neighbor in suburban Milwaukee had abused her, starting at age 4 and continuing until she was 11 — and her subsequent feelings of guilt, an inability to trust people, awkwardness as a teenager, and serious depression.
Revealing the truth and talking about it openly — even though it sometimes makes adults “squirm in their chairs a little bit” — has changed her and helped other victims, she said.
“I enjoy everything about life right now — everything. I’m just really happy. I’m able to enjoy everything. I’m not depressed all the time and I’m not worried about anything, about myself or my appearance or things like that,” she said.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn’t my fault, and I’m just happy to share my story and help other people,” she said. “The ripple effect was incredible. I could not believe how many stories I got in return.”
Now she is a spokeswoman for child abuse awareness programs, telling children how “things can happen in your life but you can still go on to do great things.”
