Fitness coach Chrissy Hales, 31, from Indian Head, Maryland, was molested by a relative at the age of nine.
She was then raped by the same relative when she was 11-years-old.
Transformed: Fitness coach Chrissy Hales, 31, from Indian Head, Maryland, has revealed how exercise and her faith has helped her overcome being molested by a relative at the age of nine
Bad place: The mom-of-two was left with crippling depression and anxiety after a relative abused her between the ages of nine and 11
Fighter: The mom-of-two young boys, Logan aged four and Garrett, two, says she didn’t feel connected to her kids at the height of her depression
Before and after: Chrissy started using 30 minute at-home workouts as a time to reflect and pray and uses fitness as her therapy, pictured left in 2015 and right in 2017
‘When I was growing up, my parents worked crazy hours and were always gone so my relatives babysat us,’ she said.
‘He was like my best friend, we pretty much did everything together. One day, while my parents were gone, he asked me to come watch a movie with him and that’s when he proceeded to molest me and make me watch a pornographic film. I was nine.’
Chrissy, who now has two sons, Logan, aged four, and two-year-old Garrett, only found the courage to speak out when her relative was facing jail time for a separate offence, but her parents refused to believe her until a doctor confirmed her claims.
‘The abuse continued, and I was officially raped at 11. Eventually, I did speak up when he was already facing some jail time but the real heartbreak came when my parents didn’t believe me.
‘I had been known to be a little colourful so they insisted it wasn’t true until the doctors confirmed it.
The abuse continued, and I was officially raped at 11… My parents didn’t believe me when I spoke up
‘The following years were filled with school visits from detectives, social workers, years of bullying. The news got out and I had kids say awful things to me such as, “I heard you had sex with your relative.”‘
Depression and anxiety then took hold in Chrissy’s teens, and things got really bad after the birth of her second son.
‘I didn’t feel connected to my kids, I felt alone, and I was not taking care of myself. I would spend most days crying, screaming, or just doing whatever I could to try to keep them and my husband happy. Nothing was working.’
Thing came to a head in April 2015 when Chrissy contemplating taking her own life to end the pain and misery.
‘My whole world felt black,’ she explained.
‘And with a two-year-old and a two-month-old, I put a gun to my head and planned to end my life, but in that moment, something washed over me.’
Unable to pull the trigger, she ‘sat and cried for hours’ afterwards and despite turning her back on her faith years ago, ‘prayed even though I wasn’t sure God really cared anymore’.
Support system: Chrissy also credits her husband (pictured) with helping her recover and says he’s been there throughout all the ‘rough patches’
Slow and steady: Chrissy says she now feels free of all the pain and guilt she once felt after her abuse and has a renewed faith in god that also helps her cope
Success: Chrissy has also completed a 12-step recovery program at her local church and now wants to help other abuse survivors heal
She said it was at this point that she decided she needed to ‘get it together’ and start taking care of herself.
‘I started doing home workouts every single day and those 30 minutes were my reflection time, my outlet, something just for me when I felt like a servant to everyone else.
‘I was able to release frustrations, increase my endorphins, and slowly but surely, I started to feel alive again. I’ve been using fitness as my therapy ever since.’
Chrissy also credits a program she attended at her church as helping in her recovery and had a message for anyone who has gone through the same situation.
‘I found a program called Celebrate Recovery at my church and I started attending. It’s a 12 step program that uses scripture and biblical principles to help people recover and overcome their hurts, habits, and hang-ups,’ she explained.
Slowly but surely, I started to feel alive again. I’ve been using fitness as my therapy ever since
‘I was skeptical about it at first, I wasn’t an addict and only addicts did the 12 step thing. But I found people like me and going through the program really helped me learn to let go of what I couldn’t control.
She shared that the program helped her make peace with what happened to her and that she has also been able to forgive her abuser.
‘I finally feel free of the pain, shame, and guilt that I had carried for the last two decades,’ she explained.
She also credits her husband with helping her heal and recover, sharing that he stood by her side through some ‘very rouigh patches’, supported her and ‘was there when I needed to vent’.
She now wants other survivors to know that what they went through doesn’t have to define them and that sex doesn’t have to be dirty or shameful.
And Chrissy hopes to start a foundation to support young girls who have been through abuse so that they can have a safe place to go and to find healing.
‘I would love to see more women on this mission with me. I never thought I would be able to share openly. I never planned to tell anyone but I’ve learned that we find strength in our struggles and messages in our messes,’ she added.
‘We can all grow, heal, and love together but we cannot do it alone. Find someone to help you heal, it makes all the difference.’