Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 2351

Tonight's special guest is Michelle Mays from Marysville, Ohio, who's a child abuse survivor and an author. "In my first 12 years I suffered physical abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, severe starvation, lice infestation, ringworm," she says, "and horrific events that almost took my life many times, including, but not limited to, getting hit by a drunk driver." Michelle spent a month in the hospital, but her mother never visited. She lived in her car for a time while she was running from the law. "I am the only one of my siblings that also experienced this who has not been in prison." But eventually she was able to turn things around. She goes on, "I learned how to channel these nightmares into action and have become successful with a wonderful [foster] family and support system." Not deterred by a tough early life she wrote a book about the experience, the first of three that she plans. 'Dumpster Doll: The Early Years' is part one and is all about her early life, covering up to age 12. "I wrote my story to help others like me learn to do the same because I feel like if we learn to channel this trauma, we will be the strongest people on earth," she says. Through powerful vignettes of a life disjointed, Mays’s story is a journey of hope that is echoed in the experiences of thousands of children in the court and foster care systems today. 'Dumpster Doll' is brave not because it is unique, but because it unflinchingly shines a light on family turmoil, flaws in judicial systems, and ultimately, the grit and tenacity that thousands of children exhibit each day just to make it through. "I am starting a foundation to help foster children that have aged out of the system since they enter adulthood with no support system as I did."