Silence Broken: Moving from a Loss of Innocence to a World of Healing and Love

by Sara O'Meara, Yvonne Fedderson

After witnessing his parents murder his sister, a little boy became totally silent. He was placed in 15 different foster homes before being sent to the Childhelp USA village. No matter how hard they tried, the staff was unable to get the little boy to speak. Finally, the man in charge of the village's animal therapy program took the little boy to the barn and told him that "Chocolate," a pony, was now his responsibility. Everyday, the little boy ran to the barn to take care of Chocolate. On the fifth day, he put his arms around the pony and said, "I love you." Once his silence had been broken, the boy rapidly began to heal. This story is but one from a lifetime of work of two women, Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson. As the girlfriends of David and Ricky on the hit TV show Ozzie and Harriet, they could never have realized how they were meant to serve children around the world suffering from isolation, despair, neglect, and abandonment. Today, some 40 years and many miracles later, Childhlep USA is one of the oldest and largest of nonprofit organizations in America dealing with child abuse and neglect. This book - told through the voices of the founders, victims, and associates of Childhelp USA - is truly a journey from tragedy to triumph. The resiliency of both these women and the children they have touched with their love is a lesson for us all.

Genres: Nonfiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[M.A. Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring true story about two friends who stood together to advocate for children. It chronicles their story as they set up orphanages abroad and agencies in the US to protect abused children. I read this after seeing the movie "For the Love of a Child" and it really moved me.