My Silence Is Broken

Stories of Childhelp USA's Journey in the Treatment and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect These stories give an emotional but uplifting voice to one of society's darkest secrets: child abuse. After witnessing his parents murder his sister, a little boy became totally silent. He was placed in 15 different foster homes before being sent to the Childhelp Village. No matter how hard they tried, the staff was unable to get the little boy to speak. Finally, the man in charge of the Village's animal therapy program took the little boy to the barn and told him that "Chocolate," a pony, was now his responsibility. Everyday, the little boy ran to the barn to take care of Chocolate. On the fifth day, he put his arms around the pony and said, "I love you." Once his silence had been broken, the boy rapidly began to heal. This story is but one from a lifetime of work of two women, Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson. This book--told through the voices of the founders, victims, and associates of Childhelp USA--is truly a journey from tragedy to triumph. The resiliency of both these women and the children they have touched with their love is a lesson for us all.