I Wanted To Matter to Someone

Shannon is a survivor. As a child she was repeatedly abused and raped. She became pregnant by her rapist at age 12. She wanted to commit suicide as a teenager. All of the trauma made her believe she wasn't capable of love. She constantly felt like she had to earn love, affection and protection. And then she met Lee in college. Lee had never experienced abuse or trauma, but he knew he wanted to make Shannon feel safe and loved. Today Shannon and Lee are married with six children. This is their story of strength and bravery, of what it takes to rebuild your life and embrace love, marriage and parenthood after a childhood of abuse and assault. This is a story about what it takes to be a partner who learns how to make that survivor feel safe and how to build a family that looks nothing like the family you grew up with. 

For a long time Shannon wasn’t sure if she even wanted kids. Growing up the way she had was enough to make her think she might not be able to be the kind of parent she wanted to be. But meeting Lee and falling in love with him changed that. 

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