Executive director of The National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (ENDCan ), Lori Poland, sits down for an interview with Joy Thomas from the ACE Resource Network. Poland shares her journey in writing her memoir - "I Live Here: Learning to Heal through Embracing Your Story" - about surviving childhood abuse. She has transcended her life to help, support, and be the change she wishes to see in the world.

https://endcan.org

What are ACEs?

ACEs are Adverse Childhood Experiences. They are difficult, potentially traumatic experiences a child faces before the age of 18.

The landmark Kaiser Permanente-CDC study assessed the following 10 ACEs:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Physical neglect
• Emotional neglect
• Household member with mental illness
• Witnessing domestic violence
• Household member with substance abuse
• Incarcerated household member
• Divorce or separation of parents

They are so common that two out of three of us have at least one.

ACEs can trigger Toxic Stress in the body.

Without protective factors and adequate support, ACEs can lead to toxic stress in the body. Toxic stress can literally alter brain chemistry and biology, and it can even change how our DNA is read and transcribed.

ACEs and toxic stress have been linked to heart disease, stroke, asthma, cancer, depression, anxiety, addiction, and suicide. ACEs may also impact children’s learning and development, our workplace performance, our relationships, and lifespan.

Yet many people, parents, health professionals, and educators don’t know about ACEs. This lack of knowledge leads to significant illness and unimaginable expense – much of which could be averted through awareness, education, and action.

#endchildabuseandneglect #endcanorg #ilivehere

You can connect with ACEs resource network here https://aceresourcenetwork.com/