Hello, my name is Elisa Shiller.

I am a dedicated cat mom, a 5-year elementary music educator, and a Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivor. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 12. 1 in every 6 women will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime. In approximately 3/4th of child sexual abuse cases, the offender is someone known to the victim.

This is my story. This GoFundMe is a testimony of my life and an incredibly thankful request for financial assistance as I navigate this journey of justice, self-identity, and healing. This includes the medical expenses for my psychiatric hospitalization program, future psychiatric needs, and the docks to my pay as my PTO begins to fade. My goal is to have my GoFundMe raised by 04/2026 as April is Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I will be advocating during April 2025 as I take my first step in actively sharing awareness of my abuse and the abuse of others.

Everything is overwhelming and emotionally/mentally exhausting, but I am thankful that I am here to share this experience and speak my truth to the world. Every penny raised will help me financially find the stability and relief I desperately need to continue my life without constant suffering. If you can’t donate, please share this page to help spread my story and bring attention to the sexual abuse and grooming that can occur to children often without suspicion. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read my story. I hope this can be a reminder of how easily predators can hide in plain sight and how often manipulation can occur unknowingly to the victim’s loved ones.

There will be resources linked at the bottom to provide information on red flags to look for in predators, warning signs of abuse in children, and how to support sexual abuse survivors. There will also be links to some current and future programs I am fundraising for. I have an Instagram that I am using to document my healing journey, to display the many mindfulness techniques I’ve learned over the years, and to share my moments of normalcy throughout the trauma I’m reliving.

Instagram: @Tunefullypolished

The details:

On September 4th, 2024; I came forward about the continuous childhood sexual abuse I received at the hands of my non-blood-related grandfather after almost 2 decades of silence and suffering. I broke my silence as a result of years of mental suffering and suicidal ideation. I realized I was done hiding my pain from the world. That I was surviving my trauma instead of living my life. With all the strength I had, I asked for help and began seeking care at an adult psychiatric mental facility where I began to receive treatment for C-PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, as well as Major Depressive Disorder at the moderate-severe level. This mental health facility has saved my life and supported me greatly throughout this journey. On Sept 7th, external family members were told of my abuse and the severity of his actions. On Sept 8th, he was confronted by his children, my two uncles supporting me during this time. He confessed his abuse to them and my grandmother. He was then taken to a Veteran Psychiatric Center where he was kept until Sept 19. I filed a police report on Sept 10th which finally documented the details accounts of my abuse as well as perceived grooming accusations in connection to my age at the time. An investigation has begun as of the week of Sep 23rd and he was taken to the NRHPD following his release from the Veterans Association Hospital. I am now beginning a long criminal/legal process as I also focus on my mental care and take time off from work.

My Testimony:

I was a victim. A silent statistic. My abuse and trauma have controlled every single aspect of my being. It has ripped everyday joys out of my life and shredded certain mundane ambitions into pieces. Many of my passions/interests have been distractions so that I may focus on something other than my trauma.

I now have control. A sense of empowerment and freedom to clear the path of my healing journey. I am a survivor of continuous childhood sexual abuse. I have silently concealed the atrocities I received during my youth and I am finally free from the shackles of my tragedy. Currently, my trauma recovery is all-consuming. I am disgusted by the memories I do have, in fear of the suppressed memories that may rise to the surface, and exhausted by the process of reliving them over and over again.

I've persevered as I've suffered. Accomplishing so many goals that I take pride in and never thought I could rise above the challenges they faced. Yet, this is what I am most proud of. That I am allowing the world to see my true self. I've kept the mirror of my soul concealed and it is now being revealed to the public to look into with the hope that someone you may know is reflected back at you who has received similar suffering and is begging for the help I so desperately needed.

I hope the people I meet through this new journey in self-identity as well as the ones who have known me will be able to take the time to sit and listen. That they will rally behind me with love and support without needing to know the details of my abuse. If I can burn them from my memory, I would. I now choose to see them as a reminder that I have lived this life through the harmony and horrors of its existence. I have survived against all odds.

I am not looking for sympathy nor am I asking you to donate as a sense of remorse as a result of the carefully crafted mask I wore for so long. I saw it as armor, keeping me alive for so long until it began to rust and make me bleed. I have taken off my armor and will allow my scars to show. I am stepping into the light and choosing to endure more of what life has to offer. I hope now I may be able to live a life that has purpose and meaning instead of surviving by avoidance and burdened acceptance. That I may smile genuinely, laugh abundantly, live fearlessly, and look back knowing the strength I have has been in me all this time.

You may not like all that I've grown to be, but I hope I have made you proud. This is all for you, baby girl. You deserved the life that was taken from you. I will give you the world.

Healing Adult Survivors of Child Abuse | Fire-Brown | TEDxGreenville

Resources for my healing journey:

Resources for Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention: