MASSACHUSETTS
Newburyport Daily News
By Mac Cerullo
Staff Writer
AMESBURY — Since coming forward publicly in 2002 to discuss his abuse at the hands of a Catholic priest, Gary Bergeron has seen a marked improvement in people’s attitudes toward victims of childhood sexual abuse.
But while people have become more aware of the problem, one aspect that he said is still often overlooked is life after abuse, and how difficult it can be for victims to come to terms with their experience and live the rest of their lives as survivors.
“One of the things I’ve learned over the past decade is that there is no easy life, there’s only life,” Bergeron said. “And I think it’s important for all survivors of childhood sexual abuse to understand that what happened to you is a part of who you are, but it doesn’t necessarily define who you’re going to be.”
Bergeron, who runs the Mill 77 consignment store on Route 110 with his wife, has become one of the nation’s most outspoken proponents of childhood sexual abuse awareness since the clergy abuse scandal first exploded in Boston 12 years ago.
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