My name is Alacia Hightower and I am a survivor of Child Abuse that led to Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse as an adult.

At a very young age, I experienced child abuse at the hands of my father who was a Vietnam War Veteran. Not only did I experience the abuse, I also was a witness to the Domestic Violence that my mother experienced.

There were many bruises, broken bones, and verbal abuse that were inflicted on the both of us. My father would drink heavily due to his experiences in the war.

Oddly enough, those were the good times that we shared with him. It was when he didn’t drink that we knew we would suffer the most.



I grew up believing that this was a way of life as it was during the time where what happened in the home stayed in the home.

I carried it into my adult life where I met and married a man that was just like my father.

The first time he hit me I was 16 years old. The first time he raped me I was 19 years old. I went from one man abusing me to another.


During my childhood, I had no one available that I could talk to that would help me through those awful times.

It wasn’t until I was married and each violent session became worse than the last that I sought help.

I received that help through a counselor for Juvenile and Domestic Courts.

She helped me to see that even though I knew that it was wrong, and I hated my father for the things that he did to my mother and I; subconsciously I accepted this behavior as right because it was all that I knew.

She helped me to gain the courage and the strength that I needed to walk away from years of abuse and find my own voice.

I now had daughters of my own and it was no longer about just me. It was about the survival of my children.

The cycle had to be broken and it had to start with me.

Through all of the pain that I endured, I often would cry out to God…”why me Lord?”

It was during those times that I knew that what I went through was not just for me.

How could I help someone else if I didn’t go through it myself?

What would I be able to say to anyone else who would experience the same kind of pain?

This is how Broken Vessels was birthed down deep in my belly. Not only am I able to share with broken and hurting women, but also to children. Children are the silent victims!

I have learned that at some point and time we have all been hurt in one way or another.

Some have even been damaged. We must all find ways to recover, restore, renew and move through the pain and to pick ourselves back up.

We have to delve deep and find the courage and the strength to nurture ourselves.

Everything that is needed to heal is already inside of you. Listen to yourself and believe what you hear.


If you are being abused, you don't have to die in silence. Talk to someone who can help, confide in someone who supports you and remain strong. Turn your pain into strength!


P.S: This is a true story of abuse submitted by Alacia Rene Hightower. You can reach her via:

E-mail: [email protected]