Based on my traumatic childhood and other adversities that I experienced, the odds were not in my favor to become a fully functional person. I credit these significant strides to my faith and the amount of support that I received from caring and helpful individuals throughout my formative years and well into my adulthood up until today. My hope is that telling my story through the book will be an example of the power of God to restore and rebuild despite being plagued with challenges. I don't want anyone to read the book and feel sorry for me. I hope that the exact opposite occurs. God still helped me to have the victory. There was really nothing so unique or special about me. Saying this is not about having a self-deprecating attitude. But so that people know and understand that this type of overcoming power is not exclusive to just a few people. If He did it for me, He can do it for you. These incidents don't have to define who we are; "your beginnings in life do not have to determine your ending.TM" With adequate support and exposure to sufficient resources, restoration is a definite possibility. My name is Jennifer Ancruem, LMSW. I'm a wife to a wonderful man and a mom of an amazing son. I grew up in the projects in the Bronx. My parents divorced when I was an infant and my father became estranged. My parents did not graduate from high school and experienced financial problems throughout their lives. As a result, my mom struggled to raise 3 children in a very violent and overcrowded neighborhood in the Bronx. At 13, I experienced the most traumatic event of my life, which had the potential to adversely shape the outcome of my life.
