As a survivor of child abuse (which occurred for over a decade), and as someone who is, sadly, another example of the system failing me, I have to say I was deeply triggered by the documentary series, ‘The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez’ on Netflix. It’s actually hard to articulate, but the very first time I heard about Gabriel (reading about his death in the LA Times in 2013) I felt a profound connection to him. More than just relating, I felt all that survivors experience in an instant. The fear, the hopelessness, the inexplicable desire to survive, and the questions… Why me? Could I have done more? Why is this happening? Am I broken? Will I make it? Am I not good enough? Should I have done more to help the other kids? If I can just keep her happy? How is she feeling today? What if? Why? Last night I watched the entire series. I had to. I couldn’t spread out the horrors or emotional rollercoaster over a couple of days or even weeks. I had to get through it all in one sitting. While it was deeply upsetting, probably the MOST triggering thing I’ve ever watched in my entire life, I am glad I did and even more glad that brave filmmakers (and distributors like Netflix) are willing to tell stories like this. It is distressing, and brutal, and horrible, and unthinkable, and traumatizing but it is also reality. An eight year old boy lost his life, in the most horrendous and horrible way. He paid with his life, the least we can do is not look away anymore. #ReportChildAbuse #GabrielFernandez #Netflix #thetrialsofgabrielfernandez https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ISZH-B_u3/?igshid=1mgrzwsbplxxb