97. David Weeks: A Childhood Devastated By Abuse And Trafficking, Leads To An Inspirational Adulthood

To know David, you'd think he's living a great lifestyle. And the truth is, he is! But it wasn't always that way. David was born and raised in Virginia, but life started taking some harsh turns when David turned four. That's when he remembers his father abandoned him, telling his mother that he couldn't take being around David anymore. It wasn't long afterward that his mother married the next-door neighbor…he was a soldier and shortly after he became David's stepfather, he was deployed to the middle east. David was left, at age four, to be the "man of the family," quite the burden for a young child. Also, David became the focus of his mother's attention, being cuddled and loved on to the point of him feeling uncomfortable and awkward. But then, when David's stepfather got home from being deployed, and David was suddenly discarded. These emotional shockwaves were just the start of David's emotional abuse. Things got worse before they got better. He and his sister were on the hit list their biological father created alongside the family he married into. At least that is what his mother told him at the age of ten; it would be over a decade later to find out the truth of what actually happened. Things went downhill for David after that. And stayed that way for years. But to catch the true essence of this story, you need to listen to this episode. David doesn't hold back. And that's his nature. That's why he was able to endure the horrific lifestyle that was pushed on him, and that's why he is so tenacious and persistent now. And that's why I wanted him on this show. Give this episode your ear, and you'll hear all the reasons David is a terrific guest. As David is doing in helping get the word out about child abuse and child sexual assault and rape, you too can do your part in helping bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault. Just Start By Believing when it comes to listening to and supporting a victim or survivor of rape or sexual assault. Because we all know someone whose life has been affected by these horrific crimes. Here are some websites that I hope you'll check out and support, however you choose to do that. I'm also including my email address and would appreciate hearing from you… let me know how Sexual Assault Survivor Stories has impacted your life, or your thoughts and opinions on any of the episodes of this show. Thanks! https://Markel-Consulting.com https://www.3joannes.com/ https://startbybelieving.org/ https://evawintl.org/ https://thejanbrobergfoundation.org https://safeinharmsway.org davemarkel@gmail.com