Another male survivor comes forward

Anyone who knows me knows that I have had the utmost respect for Sheldon Kennedy, a former NHL hockey player, for not only coming out and talking about the sexual abuse he survived at the hands of a youth hockey coach, but also helping put the coach in jail and all if the programs he has helped kick off for abused children in Canada.

I’ve admired not just the fact that he came forward, but that he came forward while he was part of the uber-macho world of professional athletes.

Given that, I have to confess my level of respect for Jet’s Wide Receiver Laveranues Coles went up a few notches when he went public with his own story of being a survivor.

I think this quote says it all about why it’s important, especially for male survivors, to share their stories:

“Coming up, I always felt like I was the only one that ever happened to. Then, when I started going to different sessions, they let me know that it happens to a lot more people.”