A MESSAGE FROM Help me fight child sexual abuse!
What am I doing?
I’m running the half marathon to raise $10,000 for the CAC. For every dollar raised up to $5,000, Chad and I will match it dollar for dollar. In addition, I will also have it matched through EOG’s generous Matching Gifts Program meaning the impact of every dollar donated up to $5,000 will be tripled!
My story.
When I was in elementary school, someone I was supposed to trust sexually abused me on multiple occasions in our home. I never told anyone because I didn't feel safe enough to do so. As I grew up, I always thought I had gotten over what happened to me. After all, I'm a successful adult with a great career. It wasn't until I had my first child, a son, that I realized I never processed what happened to me. All I did was lock it in a box and pretend it never happened. The trauma was further exacerbated with my second child, a daughter. How do I protect my kids? How do I know who I can trust around them? There are times when I have to step away from my kids because I'm suddenly reminded of what happened to me. I can vividly see it and feel it. I am grateful that Chad knows when I'm struggling and supports me. It has shaped how I approached parenting and my life.
Why I support the CAC.
I now know firsthand this trauma never goes away. It's with me for my life. I seem to think about it every day even though I don't want to. That is why I joined the board at the Children’s Assessment Center (CAC). They partner with Harris County to provide multidisciplinary support and services to sexually abused children and their families. The CAC is one the largest organization of its kind in the nation! This August, I will begin a nine-month campaign to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse, the CAC's services, and fundraise for the organization.
Because the CAC is a non-profit that works with Harris County, they provide services for the victim's entire life, and they also provide support and counseling to the family. I am blown away by what they do for these children, especially babies! No child should be abused at all, especially by someone they are supposed to trust, but if they are abused, I want them to have the level of support and services that the CAC provides for the rest of their life.
How can you help?
I’m finding my own way to heal. I knew one day I'd find the courage to tell my story, but for me to do it, I wanted it to be impactful and meaningful. I needed to know that if I'm going to relive everything and process it, I also want it to help others. That’s why I’m doing it now. I hope my story moves you to support my goal. Every step I take, every mile I run, will be for all the kids who deserve better.
Follow me on Instagram as I train and raise awareness about this very prevalent issue. You can find me @ModernAsianMom.
To learn more about the issue of child sexual abuse and assault and the statistics surrounding this issue, I encourage you to visit this site:
https://www.d2l.org/child-sexual-abuse/statistics/
or go directly to this summary handout:
https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Child-Sexual-Abuse-Updates.pdf
