Breaking the Silence: How I Found Healing After Abuse and Abandonment

By Florence Andre

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My name is Florence Andre and this is my Testimony.

A Childhood Marked by Loss and Trauma

Before I understood what healing truly looked like, I first learned how to survive. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and after moving at the age of six, I was raised in South Florida by my grandmother. I'm the youngest — and only girl — in a family of three brothers.

From the outside, my life may have seemed normal: a successful career, leadership in my field, and motherhood. But for years, I carried a deep pain that no title or accomplishment could fix.

Growing up, I never had a healthy relationship with my mother. In fact, our relationship was nearly nonexistent. My father passed away before I was born, so I never had the chance to meet him. My childhood was marked by silence, rejection, confusion, and trauma.

One of the most defining and devastating moments of my early life was being molested, an unspeakable experience that planted seeds of shame and insecurity. Even worse, the person who did it was my own brother.

Learning to Be Strong Without Support

Without the guidance and support of my biological parents, I learned to be strong on my own. That strength carried me far, but it came at a price. I chased love in all the wrong places — through failed relationships, broken marriages, and misplaced loyalty to friends who didn’t value me. I was labeled the “black sheep” of my family, and it often felt like no one truly saw the real me.

God Placed the Right People at the Right Time

Yet even in the midst of all that pain, God never left me alone. When I was just 11 years old, He sent two women who would become anchors in my life: Cindy Thienard-Pierre and Esther Dazil. Cindy became the mother I didn’t have. Esther became the sister I always needed. They prayed for me when I couldn’t pray for myself. They reminded me of my worth, of God’s love, and of the fact that He had a plan for my life — even when I couldn’t see it myself.

A Thriving Career That Hid Deep Wounds

Professionally, I thrived. I became a registered nurse and rose through the ranks to become a Director of Nursing, with over ten years of experience in nursing administration. I pursued my master’s degree and am currently working toward my Doctorate in Nursing. But despite all that success, I didn’t realize how deeply I needed mental health care until after my second divorce.

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Therapy Was the Key to Unlocking My Healing

It was then — during one of the lowest emotional seasons of my life — that I began therapy. It opened a door I didn’t even know I had locked. For the first time, I confronted the trauma, the abandonment, the shame. I learned about self-care — not just as a buzzword, but as a way of living. I fasted. I prayed. I cried. I forgave.

The Truth That Set Me Free

And then, in 2019, the truth I had carried silently for so long was finally acknowledged. My biological brother confessed to our mother what he had done to me. That moment changed everything. For years, I had blamed myself. I thought I was the problem. But that conversation revealed the root of so many broken areas in my life: my relationship with my mother, the men I chose, the friendships I clung to, and the image I held of myself.

That truth didn’t break me — it freed me.

Forgiveness and Restoration

I chose forgiveness — not just for my mother, but for myself. That decision became the soil where healing began to grow. Our relationship, once cold and estranged, has been restored. I now have healthy boundaries, a supportive circle of friends, and most importantly, a renewed sense of identity rooted in God’s truth.

Divine Timing and New Beginnings

Then, after saying yes to leading a women’s group at my church called “What to Do in the Waiting Room” — teaching others how to thrive while waiting on God — He broke a chain in my own life. On July 31, 2025, God moved in a way I wasn’t expecting: I received a call from my ex-husband, the father of my youngest two daughters. After seven years of distance, he reached out, wanting to reconnect.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I know the timing was divine. It was God showing me that nothing is impossible when we surrender our broken pieces to Him.

Thriving in Purpose, Not Just Surviving

Today, I am no longer just surviving — I am thriving. I live with clarity, purpose, and peace. I am a mother to my four beautiful children — Taylor, Tyler, Skyler, and Layla — but now I mother from a place of wholeness. I lead in my profession with compassion born from lived experience. I speak to women not from theory, but from testimony.

You Are Not What Happened to You

If you're reading this and feel stuck in the middle of your storm, I want you to know this: There is power in the waiting. There is purpose in the pain. And there is healing available to you. You are not what happened to you. You are not your trauma, your divorce, your diagnosis, or your disappointment.

I am living proof that God can take a shattered life and make it whole again — not perfect, but whole.

And that is more than enough.

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