They say trauma travels through family lines ... until someone is ready to heal it. From the moment she was born, all Bonnie ever wanted was love. Unfortunately for her, this was something even her mother couldn't give. Bonnie was abandoned along with her siblings at a children's home in the 1960's. Left reeling from her mother's desertion, Bonnie struggles to belong. But with help from a new friend, she awakens the wonders of childhood she thought she'd missed. However, Bonnie's abandonment isn't the only damage she's forced to face. After someone she trusts takes away every ounce of happiness and safety she'd managed to cling to, Bonnie seeks to find the missing pieces of her childhood after abandonment and sexual trauma. The book chronicles her time learning to move forward with bits of humor, past the trauma in search of herself and collects pieces of her lifelong quest to recover some of what had been lost in her childhood. In between these moments of lived survivorship, there is a glimpse of what was missed that could change generations to come. They say trauma travels through family lines until someone is ready to heal it. It runs in the family, but will it run out with the decisions Bonnie has to face? I Am Because You Were, is a heart-touching tale that touches on sensitive topics with the hope of spreading awareness about the stigma attached to childhood trauma, mental health, and addiction. Inspired by true events, this book dives headfirst into the heavy shadows of childhood abuse that follow long after children grow-up. A memorable, and emotional story of love, loss, survival, and continuation.