Samantha Adams, of Athlone, has broken her silence on the abuse she endured as a child, in her book, Warrior Outside, Chaos Within.
The self-published book describes her painful memories of the sexual, physical, and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her late father and how she overcame her despair to become a strong, assertive, brave woman.
The book demonstrates the importance of speaking out against abuse, seeking help and support from others, says Ms Adams.
Family members had wanted her to keep quiet about what she experienced, but her husband, Enrique, encouraged her to tell her story, saying it would help others, she says.
“I was still unsure because this is such a taboo topic to talk about but yet so common.”
The deciding factor for her was when she met “a few beautiful women” whom she shared her story with.
“They accepted me for who I was, and it made me realise that I will be okay and maybe my story can help someone.”
Ms Adams says she always wanted to be a writer, but her father discouraged her, saying she wasn’t good enough and she should forget about that dream.
The book highlights the warning signs of abuse that, in Ms Adams’s case, were missed by family and teachers.
“So I want to encourage them to look deeper at the warning signs so that we can stop child abuse a lot earlier.”
Her husband has been her number-one supporter and she has also had a lot of support from family and friends, she says.
“I feel like maybe some pressure was taken off from him a bit as only he knew my story. They have all encouraged me to speak my truth, and so I did. I know along the line some people will be upset that I finally spoke my truth, but I think with the support I have now I am ready to take on that challenge and move forward.”
Last year, Ms Adams started My Safe Space, a support group for women healing from trauma.
“I started this group because I wanted to connect with women who could relate, and, in doing so, I started sharing a lot of my story.
“The feedback I got from the group was phenomenal. I saw there that my story had an effect on people and telling it brought a positive side to many people’s lives, and they too started sharing. And with sharing comes healing, and I am so glad that if just one woman can benefit from My Safe Space and this book then I have succeeded with what I set out to do when I started it.”
Her advice to abuse survivors is to speak their truth no matter what it is.
“No matter what you have gone through, there is hope for you and a way to come out as the victor in the end. My hope is that more women come out sooner with their story so that they can live a happier life for a longer period.”
Ms Adams’s father was never charged with any crimes.
Warrior Outside, Chaos Within is available in hard copy from Ms Adams for R170 or on Amazon and Kindle. There are also copies at Athlone and Lansdowne libraries.
The book will be launched on Saturday September 17, at the Come Brew Cafe, from 1pm until 3pm. Seats are limited. Call Samantha Adams at 060 418 7482 for details.