At the age of four I remember looking in the mirror and thinking my legs and stomach looked fat, and by the time I was eleven I stopped eating. I loved sports and would exercise constantly. My parents took me to a doctor who diagnosed me with anorexia. Continue reading “Cara – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

When I was very young, I was sexually abused by a family member. At that same time, my grandparents died. I didn’t understand what was happening and I began to distance myself from everyone. My parents divorced and things got worse. Continue reading “Blair – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

I was sexually abused at a young age and quickly learned how to keep secrets. I was molested, abused, and raped multiple times throughout my life and used drugs, alcohol, and self-harm to cope. I also attended a strong performance-based school where I developed an eating disorder. Continue reading “Beth – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

When I was in 8th grade, my family split up and I moved in with my mom. I was very depressed and believed my family didn’t really want me. My senior year of high school, I dropped out and moved in with my boyfriend. I got pregnant and decided to give my baby boy up for adoption, but I was devastated. Continue reading “Ashley – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

Growing up, my family went through multiple divorces. We moved a lot and I had no real sense of family. I began to self-harm at the age of 13. I didn’t have anyone I felt I could talk to so I used the physical pain to deal with my emotional pain. Soon, I was cutting every day. At the age of 14, I was sexually abused by a much older man in my community. Continue reading “Amanda – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

I grew up in a tense home environment with an emotionally absent father and a physically ill mother and I felt it was my job to play peacekeeper. Over time, I began to isolate myself. I rarely received affirmation from my father so I convinced myself that I didn’t want or need it. I felt my worth was in performing well in music and academics. Continue reading “Alishia – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →

As a child, I was sexually abused but I didn’t tell anyone in my family. I was 8 years old when I started restricting my food and by the age of 10, I was using self-harm daily. At 13, I was raped by a group of boys and became pregnant. I miscarried right before my 14th birthday and one week later, I attempted suicide for the first time. Continue reading “Alexis – Mercy Multiplied Graduate” →