Donna had 3 children. Her first and last children she adored, treated well, and supported. But her middle child, through no fault of the child's, Donna hated. She punished the middle child (Ann) viciously through physical torture, locking her in rooms or closets, denying her food & etc. This took place from the time the child was an infant all the way into adulthood.

Donna also pounded it into the heads of her first and last child that Ann was Evil and must be Punished. She encouraged them to blame Ann for everything, to hate Ann, to ridicule Ann and to hurt Ann. They were to be known as Good people while Ann was to be known as Bad, all Bad, all the time, never to be better, a hopeless and lost cause. This was highly damaging to the Ann's two siblings- almost as damaging as it was to Ann herself.

Had authorities found out about this treatment, all the children would have been permanently removed. As it were, the children were removed from time to time, only to be returned by the state. Nobody spoke up about this horrific abuse until well after Ann had grown up moved out. Even today, although Donna has apologized, and seems to have genuine remorse for the pain she inflicted, the other two siblings refuse to admit that Ann is NOT evil, and that it was NOT her fault that she was continually punished and abused.

The two siblings were jealous of Ann, as Ann moved many states away and pursued a solid education and career. Neither of the siblings had any education or career, and both had failed at the game of marriage. Ann had a good marriage and life, but the other siblings became very bitter and refused to admit that perhaps all they had been taught about Ann might be wrong. Thus, when Ann's world was shattered by violence and she was falsely accused of a crime she could never commit, the two siblings swooped in to punish her, as usual.

Ann lost her husband, and her children were taken by the state even though the state never had a solid case to even attempt to prove that she did the supposed crime they alleged. There was fairly good evidence that Ann was innocent, but since Ann had lost everything financially, she could not fight effectively to get her children back. Ann was also left with severe physical disabilities from the violence, that stood in the way of her returning to her career and work life. Ann was broke, homeless, now childless and destitute. The two siblings shook their head and contended that Ann always had been evil and always would be.

They told Ann that, in order to keep her children out of state care, they would adopt them and let her see them. Ann, unable to fight for her own rights, unable to care for her children because of her new disability, had no one else to turn to. She trusted them.

Now, they refuse to let Ann see her children. Ann is getting better and trying to start a new career. It's hit and miss, step and go, and difficult. She struggles with severe depression. And now, both siblings have threatened her with legal action for asking over and over again to see her beloved children. Both siblings have replied that Ann has always been evil and they don't want her around their families to "taint" them.

Ann feels hopeless. She worries that her disability will keep her from raising her children. Finally, she doesn't think that anyone will ever believe her and she is unsure of whether she can afford the legal council it would take to get her children back. Ann is stuck asking herself if she really was born evil after all, and should she just end her life now, since everything has gone wrong in every area, and it looks unlikely that things could possibly turn out right. Donna comforts Ann sometimes, but other times stridently demands that Ann stop blaming her. Donna apologizes one moment and lashes out the next, tells Anna's siblings to "help" Anna but indirectly insinuates that Anna is really, after all, still evil.

Anna feels as though she might as well "throw in the towel" and give up, lay down and lie. She does not know how to recover from this lifelong injury. While she has a few faithful friends, it can seem, at times, as though perhaps this was all Anna's fault. After all, how can the entire WORLD be wrong about one person? Anna feels that even her own husband doubts her at times. Do you have any words for her?