‘What Was Hidden — and What I Found Instead’ I am writing this as a male - I am going to deliberately talk about being a boy and a man and not as a generic ‘child’ or a person. Only as a man, because I believe our challenges and perspectives are unique. This is all...

I drifted into awareness to find him hovering over me. Leering down at me. Waiting to pounce upon me. My body was tied to the bed with wires and tubes. He stared hard at me, making me feel that I’d inadvertently annoyed him. Made him angry with me. I wondered how he’d...

Rafael Viola is a survivor of institutional abuse, a dedicated whistleblower, and a published author whose life story stands as a testament to resilience in the face of systemic neglect, violence, and cover-ups. He has courageously transformed his lived trauma into...