When Misty Griffin was six years old, her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were kept as slaves on a mountain ranch and subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse, and extreme physical violence. Their stepfather kept a loaded rifle by the door to make sure the young girls were too terrified to try to escape. No rescue would ever come since the few people who knew they existed did not care.

When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community. Devastated to again find herself in a world of fear, cruelty, and abuse, Misty was sexually assaulted by the bishop. After she escaped and reported the bishop, she found herself alone in a modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card.

Misty has a message for abuse survivors: “Please be encouraged, the cycle of abuse can be broken. This is my story of survival and moving past the abuse to embrace my dreams.” In June 2019 Misty graduated nursing school. She continues to work to raise awareness about child abuse and sexual assault.

“A testament to the courage, fortitude and power of one young woman to take back her life.” —Becca Anderson, author of The Book of Awesome Women