Neighbor Spotlight

by Lucy Benka

Patricia has suffered a lifetime of neglect and abuse from those who were supposed to love and protect her. Patricia was abandoned by her mother at age twelve and sent to live with her grandmother. Her first night there she was raped by a family member. Even after telling her family what was happening, the sexual and physical abuse continued and Patricia was made to feel like she was a liar, and a bad person. She had no one to turn to, so she started drinking, “to numb the pain, and become invisible to people.”