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New Orleans man describes struggle for healing after being sexually abused as a child

1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls will be abused before they turn 18 years old. And that sexual abuse can impact a child in many ways.

NEW ORLEANS — To most, it would seem that Colin Reid has had a great life. He became an attorney and got married. But there is something from his childhood that has stuck with him through his success.

"About six years old, a friend told me that the person who lived on the corner of our neighborhood always had a bunch of candy in his garage," Reid said. "I went to try it, and went back, and was always terrified I'd get caught. And one day, sure enough, the man who lived there came out, but he wasn't mad. He invited me in."

That was the beginning of the sexual abuse that Reid would spend the rest of his life trying to forget.

His experience with sexual abuse as a child is too common, and it can happen to any child.

Thomas Mitchell is the Executive Director of the Children's Advocacy Center - Hope House - in Covington. It's a non-profit working to end child abuse.

"We as a society have a long way to go," Mitchell said. "It's across society. It's across demographics."

Mitchell says that 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls will be abused before they turn 18 years old. And that sexual abuse can impact a child in many ways.

"I really acted out, got into fights at school," Reid said. "Was very disruptive in school, set fires."

Reid was in therapy for most of his life but never told anyone about the abuse. He said he always blamed himself for the abuse and thought that there was something wrong with him. He would refuse to talk about it with therapists.

"There is still this shrouded secrecy behind it where event parents want to avoid it," Mitchell said. "They were abused as children. It's intergenerational."

In 2018, nearly 130 children took part in therapy at Hope House. And despite the trauma, they were able to overcome symptoms related to the traumatic experience in 6-9 months.

But for children to get on that path to healing, sexual abuse has to be addressed. For most of his life, Reid tried to avoid dealing with the abuse. Four years ago, he finally opened up to a therapist about what happened to him.

Reid is in his 50's now, and even after all these years, he is still in the process of healing.

"I don't know if you ever heal," Reid said. 

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WWL-TV reporter Sheba Turk can be reached at sturk@wwltv.com; Follow him on Twitter at @ShebaTurk

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