This week I take a trip down "Memory Lane" with my good friend Charlotte. At first she recounts the story of a childhood injury, but then the conversation takes a turn that neither of us expected.

When Charlotte was very young, she was severly injured during play. As a result, she was rushed to the hospital, all the while worrying that her father would blame her for the injury. Her entire body was damaged, and she was forced to become immobile, wrapped in a body cast for 9 months. Every month a doctor with a pizza cutter-like saw would come to her room to cut her out, and replace it with a new cast.

Fear of being blamed for the injury was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Charlotte's father. Fueled by his alcoholism, Charlotte grew up in an environment fraught with violence and addiction. At 13, she ran away for the first time, an attempt to escape her family dynamic that ended in vain.

Moving forward from those turbulent times to today, Charlotte reflects on her life, how her upbringing led to addiction and setting her onto a 'crooked' path. She still deals with the consequences of these early-life experiences to this day.

Our hope is that this episode of "Memory Lane" will help or inspire any child going through abuse or dealing with alcoholic parents. Charlotte was never told that it wasn't her fault, but now she knows enough to know that no child is responsible for the abuse that they go through. 

This is Charlotte's story.

Memory Lane -- Charlotte

Jakob Kesava Moscow