ONCE UPON A TIME, a child was born.  Her name was Hope.  Hope's mother was a prostitute and alcoholic.  She had three older brothers.  The closest to her in age, David, was less than a year older than Hope.

Hope was four years old when she was sexually assaulted by one of her mother's boyfriends.  When she was five years old, she and her brothers were found begging for food and taking scraps out of the dumpster at the Varsity Drive-In.  Social Services placed Hope and her brothers in foster care with an aunt and uncle.

When Hope was six years old, she had a venereal disease.   No one asked how she got the disease.  When Hope was ten years old, she had her first abortion.  No one asked how she got pregnant.  When Hope was eleven, she had her second abortion.  Again, no one asked how she got pregnant. When she was twelve, she had her first child.  No one asked about the father of the child.

When Hope was sixteen, she tried to kill herself in the bathroom at school.  She finally told authorities that her uncle had been sexually abusing her since she was five, and that, on occasions, her brothers were forced to witness the attacks.  They were too scared of their uncle to tell anyone.

Hope was taken to the Georgia Center for Children by a social worker.  At the Georgia Center, Hope received intensive psychotherapy by counselors who were specially trained to work with children like Hope -- victims of sexual abuse.  Hope's brother David never got the help and counseling that was provided to his younger sister.  David was recently sentenced to life in prison without parole for two counts of murder.

Hope was luckier than her brother.  With the Center's help, Hope rebuilt her life.  She joined the high school band and the ROTC.  She graduated with honors.  Today she is married, has a family, and works full-time at a hospital.  She is grateful that the Georgia Center for Children helped restore her faith in people and her own self-esteem.

The cycle of abuse in Hope's life stopped because of the Georgia Center for Children.  With your help, the cycle can be stopped for every abused child.

As told by J. Tom Morgan, DeKalb District Attorney.  He knows "Hope" (not her real name) and her family well.  He prosecuted her uncle for child abuse.  He prosecuted her brother for murder.