Hi,
I have just gotten out and am free at last! My brother did so a few years ago and has been such an amazing help to me these last few weeks. I was raised a JW, disfellowshipped when I was 17, married a non believer and then dragged back in by my family. Here's the thing - I was 17 when I was disfellowshipped and we had just moved from the only city I'd ever known to the South. As soon as I was DF, the wailing of my parents began immediately. I wanted nothing to do with it then but that wasn't an option with my parents.
So I ran away and stayed with friends from high school for a few months. No family would talk to me - and to boot I'd moved back to where I was from and had no family - just some friends I barely knew b/c I wasn't ever allowed to have friends that weren't Witnesses in h.s. Married someone just so I could have a place to stay really and he and I have a beautiful son. We've both had doubts all these years but were too afraid to say anything until this past week when I worked up the courage to talk to him. We are now both leaving, getting divorced and have never gotten along better in our lives. Feels good to say all of these things out loud.
The tipping point for me was the last few years when my son wanted to "do birthdays" or Christmas or anything and I had to tell him no. And then thinking if anything ever happened, I was supposed to refuse to give him blood to save his life on the off chance that there may be a "new system" No THANK YOU!
I know it will be hard and emotional (still have parents and sisters that are in that I love dearly) but I am so glad to be free! Do feel like I"ve wasted 29 years of my life but at least my son won't have to worry about this crap!