It's a Long and Winding Road: Finding Peace After My Struggle with Childhood Trauma

Bonnie Dust appeared on the surface to have a normal childhood, growing up on a farm near Osoyoos, British Columbia on the Canada-U.S. border in the 1950s and 1960s. She rode horses and excelled in school and Girl Guides.

But for years she kept a secret about her encounters as a young child with an older man who lived nearby – encounters that left her traumatized.

As a young adult, her behaviour led to a series of misdiagnoses – hyperthyroidism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Heavily med...