Hi, my name is Dawn. I read every story that the women have placed on the site and like myself, I wanted to share with the group my story as well. I'm going to be blunt and strait to the point. I do not mean to offend anyone in anyway...

When I was 13, my parents divorced and I stayed with my father. My grades slipped and I had to go to summer school - which meant I had to go stay with my mother and her boyfriend for the summer.

My first day there I made a new friend who noticed that I was new in town and new in school - at least for three months. One weekend her parents were going out of town. My new friend and her brother were going to have a party. They invited me and I accepted. After school I went home with them. When we got there, some of their friends showed up. They wanted to make a beer run and I told them I would stay at the house while they went. One of Nicole's friends stayed behind as well.

Not thinking that anything bad would happen, it did... and forever changed my life. The boy was 15 and I only remember his first name. Every left and I looked at the boy and asked him if he wanted something to drink because I was thirsty. So I walked into the kitchen and as I turned around to ask him what he wanted to drink, he had grabbed a knife from the drawer and put it to my neck. He said don't scream and I wont hurt you. Not only did he hurt me... He raped me.

I tried to move and get away but I couldn't. After he had finished raping me he left. When Nicole, her brother and their friends came back they had found me bunched up in a ball in the kitchen crying my eyes out. They asked what was wrong and I told them what had happened. The boy was never found.

One year later I started having very sharp pains which felt as if someone shoved a pair of scissors up in me and kept turning them. I didn't want my father to know at the time nor did I tell him of the crime because he was a cop. It got worse and it got to where I couldn't walk. Here I am a freshman in high school, didn't date, didn't have a boyfriend because I was scared of boys and didn't know what was going on with me.

One night it got so bad I collapsed. My dad rushed me to the ER and that's when I found out I had Herpes Simplex 2. Here I am 14 yrs old, never heard of the STD and much less didn't know what it was... I broke down crying and told my father. My father cried with me. Of course like any father would do, he wanted his name and he wanted justice. I told him I didn't report it because I was scared and didn't want the boy coming after me again. It was then my dad understood why I stopped giving him hugs and why I didn't like it for him to hug me as well.

So here I am in high school with a STD. I was scared to date and I surely didn't tell no one about it either. Until I met a true friend and broke down and told her. She remained my true friend to this day.

For years I was scared of dating and meeting people knowing I would end up rejected. There were a few times that I was rejected. I will tell you this though... It turned me into the most responsible person you would ever meet... I read books and I watched tapes about Herpes. Finally I was on the internet and met people like me who have this "gift." I tell people all the time not to feel sorry for me because it's only made me stronger.

Here I am now at 28. I am married to a man who understands me and loves me for who I am and not what I have. I also have a son who is 6 1/2 months old. I have lived life, done so many things, I have traveled, I have bungee jumped and I have been skydiving. I tell people if you can't accept me for what I have then you cant accept me at all.

One thing my father told me growing up was don't let it get yah down. You keep living life and doing what you love. People have minor setbacks and this is mine... Dawn