My brother was involved in many gang-related activities. He used to sell and smoke weed; he would get into a lot of fights with people around our area, so he would be out on the streets and carry a gun around with him for protection.

I remember my childhood clearly, when I lived back home in Brazil. I can recall the beatings, the abuse, the abandonment and the unhappiness. My mother beat me for any and every reason until my body was covered in bruises. One day she did it with a football boot; I thought I was going to…

The relationship that my husband and I had a few years ago was far from a bed of roses. I was never content with anything. I had a short temper and would lash out at the smallest things.

To say that my family was a mess would be an understatement! We were not united at all! Just for you to get an idea of what a broken family we were, I hated my mum because she physically abused me as a child and my older brother ran away from home and we didn’t…

We despised each other. We couldn’t talk to one another because whenever we did, it would turn into a heated argument and physical fights. I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated her…

Although we lived in the same house together, we were like complete strangers…” When my older brother passed away, my whole family was shaken by the event. But Jacob, one of my older brothers, was the most disturbed.