We only carried on pretending to believe and attending meetings for a few months. We just couldn't stand it. Whilst I understand those that want to get their relatives and friends out, if they think there's hope, we just needed to get away. People would say, 'worldly' people that is, your relatives will mellow over time, they'll come round.
They didn't, after almost three decades, but when I saw my daughter graduating university last week it was all worth it. To think of her pioneering for that cult as I did, wasting her youth and intelligence, especially if I was forced to look on knowing it was all lies, I couldn't have coped with that. So it's swings and roundabouts. Lose your extended family and friends but get a good life and have happy kids.
When you look at the planet we live on nobody has a perfect life anyway do they? Nobody has it all. I have more than a lot of people have and I'm glad we left when we did for the sake of our health and my daughter's happiness.