My sister lived the hell known as Kids of Bergen County for almost 4 years. When my parents finally pulled her she spent several years with different therapists trying to find a life for herself. She almost succeeded.
She found a wonderful man, got married and trained for a job that allowed her to save lives. Then she decided to write a book about her life...what she had experienced and how she turned her life around...and something really scary happened. SHE REMEMBERED! As much as she thought she remembered surviving KIDS, there was so much she had forgotten...so much pain, abuse, emotional trauma, humiliation, violence...all things she had blocked out...and the memories came back with a vengeance.
She has been on a roller-coaster for the past 3 years, in and out of hospitals and trauma programs...she lost her job, her husband, her life.
Please know that I'm not sharing this to discourage those of you who are planning on writing down your stories from expressing yourselves and dealing with these horrors in any way you can...I think you're all incredibly courageous...as is my sister. I am asking you, if you are going to pursue this, to make sure you have a safety net...a therapist you trust, a supportive family member, someone you can count on to help you through this. If you start remembering new "horrors" reach out and get help...believe in yourself...you are not making these up. Even if you didn't remember them yesterday, it does not mean it didn't happen. It just means you weren't ready to deal with it...
Please, be careful! Sent with love from "a sibling"
