I had to rewrite my story to find peace

For the birth of my child, I was sent away in disgrace. I was banished for bringing shame on my family, a shame so powerful all parental decency was flung aside, cast off along with my baby. I was 17 and unmarried. ‘No one wants soiled goods,’ my father said. This was 1964.

My fate as family scapegoat was sealed. I was duly held