TAMMY’S STORY

I had the great privilege of talking to a lady named Tammy, who is now one of our members. She had reached out to me over the phone, and we ended up talking for hours. Her story was so honest, and her struggles so real. I had to ask her if I could write about it. She said that’s why she had called that she wasn’t much of a writer but wanted to share. I told her I would do my best to write her story as it should be written with honesty and compassion. Here is her story.
At the age of 26, Tammy had finally got her dream job of becoming a school teacher. She loved it and was great at it. She was married, and they had one girl and two boys. They were a very happy and financially stable family and well respected throughout the community. Unfortunately, her teaching career didn’t last long. During a senior class trip to Washington DC, she was raped by two of her students. She was so ashamed, blaming herself, and was too scared to say anything about it. She didn’t think anyone would believe her anyway. The boys were from well-off families that contributed a lot to the school and community. The boys ended up bragging about it telling everyone that it was a consensual hookup. The rumor spread very quickly, and Tammy was fired. Later on, she was charged for solicitation of a minor. She tried to defend herself, but no one believed her since she didn’t say anything when it happened. She ended up taking a plea to just get it over with and out of the newspapers.
Tammy was shunned by everyone in her town. Her husband left her. He said he believed her, but it was too much for him to handle. The children ended up living with their father. Tammy picked up and moved to a small town where nobody knew her. She bought a small farmhouse, big enough for her and the kids when it was her time to see them. Her life was full of depression, anxiety, and overwhelming disappointment. She started drinking and taking painkillers. She was in no physical pain but mixing the two gave her more of a high. The depression became intensively harder to deal with. One night she decided there was no point in living anymore and took the whole bottle of pain pills chased down by a fifth of Jack Daniels. Surprisingly she had a moment of desperation before passing out and had dialed 911. When the cops came, she was lying on the floor with the phone still in her hand. Three weeks later, she woke up from her self-induced coma. For Tammy, it had only felt like a night had passed.
When finally discharged from the hospital, Tammy checked herself into a rehab facility for ninety days. They helped her get sober and put her on the proper medication for her depression. They helped her work through the trauma of the rape and losing her family. Tammy is now 35 and still sober. She works at a women’s crises center counseling women that went through similar situations. Her kids are grown. Her oldest is a school teacher, and she stays only a mile down the road from Tammy. Her two boys are in the army and live in Florida. She is engaged to a car salesman who treats her like a queen. Tammy still struggles every day from what happened to her. Her depression is manageable, but she is still haunted by her pass. Even now to this day she has never step foot back in her home town. Tammy hopes that her story will help someone, give them hope and let them know they are not alone.

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