Press Kit

Mail Tribune  October 20, 2011
Sex abuse survivor writes book about his life’s journey

Author, sex abuse advocate was silent for 40 years about his own abuse by a minister

By Sanne Specht

For one Ashland resident, the journey from victim to advocate began when he found the courage to speak about the unspeakable after decades of silence.

After being sexually abused by a charismatic youth minister when he was a naive teenager, Randy Ellison said his life became shrouded in secrets and shame. For four decades, Ellison remained silent about the devastation wrought by the trusted leader in his community — a 40-year-old married man with children of his own.

Ellison said he never told a soul what the preacher did to him. Not even when the fallout nearly destroyed his life as he battled drug and alcohol addiction and thoughts of suicide.

“I was raised not to be out front,” he said. “But the need is so great to speak about abuse.”

Today, Ellison, 60, uses his voice to fight against the scourge of child abuse — as an advocate and as an author.

(more…)

By Sanne Specht
Mail Tribune
The challenge is finding the courage to speak about the unspeakable. But raising one’s voice against the scourge of child abuse is key to healing and to prevention, according to those in a position to know.

When Ashland resident Randy Ellison attended the 2009 Abuse Awareness rally in Medford’s Vogel Plaza, his plan was to speak out about how he’d suffered at the hands of a trusted preacher. But as he watched the crowd grow and listened to the survivors’ stories being read aloud by local community leaders, Ellison’s fears about going public got the better of him that day. (more…)