A Survivor Speaks Out For Other Survivors

OSWEGO, NY – The final chapter of Amy Quonce’s book will be written at the end of this week.

With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, she said, “It is the right time to become public on my efforts to raise awareness on the issue.”

She recently completed a writing memoir course, along with Lisa Buske who is putting the finishing touches on her own book which deals with the aftermath of the kidnapping of her sister, Heidi Allen.

Quonce is currently trying to find an agent to represent her memoir.

“It covers how my family was affected after my developmentally disabled daughter was abused. I wanted my book to focus on the aftermath (legal issues, therapy, etc.) and not on the abuse itself,” she told Oswego County Today. “There are thousands of people who are affected by the same issues and I wanted my book to inspire them to break the silence and speak up for themselves.”

Last week, she received an email from Dr. Patti Feuereisent, author of “Invisible Girls: The Trust About Sexual Abuse.”

“She offered to take a look at a few chapters of my book. She has given me many insights on how to make my manuscript more appealing to agents. She has a website called GirlThrive .com that is dedicated to young sexually abused victims and offered for my daughter to be involved with their project, she said.

Since writing the book, several people have already confided in her for the first time ever and disclosed their own victimization, she added.

“I wrote the book as a way to deal my feelings. It was difficult to write, yet I believed that it also helped me,” she said.

After trying to ignore her emotions for five years, Quonce said it felt good just to express herself.

“There were sections of the book that brought me to tears and I would have to walk away until I could deal with it again. Sometimes this would take a couple of weeks, but I persevered and kept at it,” she admits. “The 16th and final chapter is not quite finished yet because I am dedicating that one to our experience with the Clean Slate Diaries.”

On April 23, her family will be participating in the survivors’ event in Dewitt.

This event is held in reorganization of the courage that is needed to become a survivor after being considered a victim.

For the survivors of rape, sexual assault and incest, there is no awareness campaign, said Renee DeVesty, CNY outreach director for Camp Good Days & Special Times.

So she decided to create an event “that would bring light and healing to their path,” she said.

The Clean Slate Diaries  will recognize and honor victims of rape, incest and domestic violence through live music, art, dance and the spoken word from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Quonce said.

It will be held at the May Memorial Unitarian Church, 3800 E. Genesee St., DeWitt.

DeVesty contacted Quonce about the event, she said.

“Recently, we took part in a video shoot that will be played at the event and we were able to tell our story. This video will be available on the Clean Slate Diaries website sometime in May,” she said. “I also was able to get my daughter’s dance studio to sponsor this charity and the proceeds will go to Vera House on the night of this event.”

Throughout this month, she has dedicated special blog posting on her website to include abuse statistics and warning signs. They can be found at www.WindingRoadBook.Weebly.Com

Quonce works as a teacher’s assistant for special needs children.

“I would like to see improvements to ensure that disabled children receive fair treatment within the law,” she said. “My website is dedicated to other survivors and my hopes are that I will inspire other victims to come forward about their own abuse.”

For more information about how you can get involved, to learn more about sexual violence or if you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence or stalking please call the Abuse & Assault Hotline at (315) 342-1600. The hotline is staffed by trained counselors and is available 24 hours, with collect calls accepted within Oswego County.

Print this entry