ESSAY August 2026 - Motivation To Walk the Talk - Peg V., Cleveland, Ohio

The Program taught her how to embrace every healing aspect of Recovery, Unity, and Service. “What happened to you?” my grandmother asked. I was eight years old. Silence. I had been raped by my father. He told me if I told my mother, I would kill her; did that apply to my grandmother too? I took no chances and stayed silent. My fantasy world began, and I gained 30 pounds that year. The weight gain was protection from my father—maybe he would no longer find me attractive. I became very introverted and isolated. My peers called me the hermit. I was also sexually abused by an uncle and shut that incident out for 20 years. My mother continued to have health problems and was frequently in the hospital, leaving me alone with my father.