i am one month away from my 40th birthday. i am a single mom of 2 boys that i have shared custody with their father.

i wrote the date on the whiteboard in preparation for my high school english class. that's when i realized i had missed my period and not noticed.

i was 16 and had a newborn baby girl. times were hard. had abortion in mexico, it was 1986.

i had been on and off with the same guy for 3 years, my family all hated him but i thought i was in love.

i want to add my voice in support of everyone who has shared their story here on a public forum or has a story they keep silently in their heart.

i wasn't raped; i wasn't a victim of incest. i was simply young, and careless, and in a very, very bad place in my life.