Phyllis - the Invisible Child

Book excerpt: Chronicling the life of a broken child, we begin before her birth, looking at the circumstances of her parent's marriage, and an insight into why and how a child could be so horribly abused without intervention from Social Services or the Montreal police - a force that consisted of her family members, one of which became Chief of the Montreal Police Force. Throughout childhood, an endless cycle of sexual abuse from multiple abusers-included her mother, a devout Christian. Using God as a weapon, she would terrify Phyllis, and her siblings into submission. Food and heating were often scarce in the family house, and the children would improvise to survive. Phyllis's mother was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia and was routinely institutionalised, leaving the children to be placed into the foster care system. That did not end the abuse, and often the foster homes were more hellish than their home life. Phyllis recounts her perilous path through life to present day in this gripping true story of her undying courage. From a helpless child to a troubled teen, Phyllis was not given the life skills to make good decisions and ended up seeking love in all the wrong places. But a casual trip and her path to God would change her life - forever.