 |
|
 
|
|
|
Donna Jenson
In 1986, after spending 15 years building and developing three grassroots women's
centers, I established the Organization and Leadership Development consulting practice I
have to this day.
In 2001 I decided to participate in breaking the silence around child sexual abuse by
writing a one-woman play, What She Knows: One Woman's Way Through Incest*, based
on my experience of surviving incest and what I did to reclaim my life and make it worth
living. It took six years, a posse of friends and loved ones, a writers group, three teachers,
and one director to bring it almost to fruition.
Then, in 2006, months after I started rehearsing the play, I was diagnosed with breast
cancer. The play became the raft I rode on through the rapids of treatment and recovery;
keeping my spirits up with the hope of future performances. My mission was, and
remains, to spark stories from other lives effected by incest and child sexual abuse to be
told and heard.
In the summer of 2008 I did my first performance. It was at the Stetson School for Boys
in Barre, MA, a residential school for boys, ages 8 to 20, who have been adjudicated for
sexual offenses (most also victims of abuse themselves).
In the fall of 2009 I had a recurrence. I was diagnosed with DCIS, pre-cancer cells that
needed removing and radiation. That was also the year my daughter told me, "Mom,
you've got to write a book that tells people what you did to heal enough to write and
perform the play. I'm now in the midst of doing just that.
Encouraging, heartening and bolstering me through these challenging waters of both
cancer and incest recovery has been a loving community of friends and family, too many
to mention. Though I must mention three - my husband Chug, my daughter Jen and my
grandson Cole. My love and gratitude to each and every one of them is boundless.
In 2010, after my twelfth performance, I wrote the following:
I am now certain that when we engage in solving problems linked to our own
suffering, we experience wholeness: by transforming a wrong in our lives, we
offer healing and empowerment to others. Articulating my experience through the
play and giving audiences hope and encouragement is one of the most meaningful
things I've ever done.
Much the same is true of the efforts of Steps To The Cure -- through which many are
experiencing hope, encouragement and meaning. And I am most grateful to have been
asked to be a part of this wonderful event. Thank you Lori.
* To learn more about Donna's project go to www.TimeToTell.org
|
|
|
| |
|
|
