Oprah Winfrey’s career has been almost impossibly successful.
But defying the odds is nothing new to Oprah, who has been battling against adversity her whole life.
Her grandmother helped nurture her early love of reading, but she was also an abusive disciplinarian.
In Oprah’s book “What Happened to You?
Spilled water, a broken glass, the inability to keep quiet or still.
Her years with her mother also exposed her to even more horrifying trauma.
As she has recalled, at just nine years old, Oprah was raped by her 19-year-old cousin.
Young Oprah also didn’t understand the consequences of being sexually active.
As a result, she became pregnant at age 14.
Her mother’s first reaction was to take her to a girls' detention home.
Oprah was finally in a stable environment, but her ordeal wasn’t yet behind her.
The same day she told her dad the truth, she went into labor.
“When that child died, my father said to me, ‘This is your second chance.
“And I took that chance.
And understood for myself … that now I know better, so I can do better.”
And the rest is history.
“I had a little boy named Canaan.
… And I named him Canaan because Canaan means new land, new life.”
If you, or anyone you know, have been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
