I thought all children lived as I did. The self-hatred, loneliness, and mutilation were taught before I was old enough to realize my lifestyle was not my fault. A later marriage gone terribly wrong, suicide attempts, panic attacks, a doctor who freely prescribed mind-deadening drugs, and constant failures were all my doing. My life was unbearable, but it was the only life I knew at the time. I was miserable, but I was comfortable in my prison. It was the only thing I knew, until I turned it around. I left my husband, threw away five pounds of medication, graduated from college with a degree in literature, worked in emergency medicine, went back into the army as a medic, and am now retired from the fire department emergency management division. I always had the choice to change my life, but was not ready. I believe I was chosen to live to share this book, so maybe someone else will be spared, if they too choose another path. This true, horrifying ordeal of an abused child subjected to alcoholism, drug addiction, witchcraft, and devil worship is the story of my life and how I managed to turn it around to become a successful professional. Jan Smith grew up in North Carolina. "In the fifties, some things were not talked about. The skeletons still rattle their chains, the scars on my arms are still there, but I can survive." Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/JanSmith