Melisa Ruscsak is half Native American and half White, a speaker, an advocate, a survivor of domestic violence/sexual abuse, and a mother.
Melisa Ruscsak first disclosed the abuse she faced from a family member to her grandmother when she was sixteen. However, it wasn’t until later in her life, when she spoke at a RAINN event, that she felt that disclosing what she had survived was met with positive support.
“The first time [receiving a supportive reaction] was actually at a RAINN event. And afterwards, I had a wonderful experience, that a woman that I’d never seen [and have] never seen since, came up to me, hugged me, and said, ‘You just saved my life.’”
Melisa Ruscsak experienced and survived violence and abuse as a child as well as an adult. Throughout her life, she has experienced different forms and methods of healing. Melisa Ruscsak explained the different methods of healing she chose to explore, which ones worked and which ones didn’t.
“[When seeking professional mental help] I never received the help that I needed. I was always being talked down to, because I’m a ‘victim’. But I am not a victim - I’m a survivor. There’s a difference.”
While Melisa Ruscsak felt that professional help did not improve her healing, help from her family did. Melisa Ruscsak began training in martial arts from a very young age and she cites this training as something that, if anything, has saved her life.
“He [Melisa Ruscsak 's maternal grandfather] started me at age 6. He didn’t just take me to a martial artist, he started teaching me. So I had my then step-dad, my grandfather from my paternal side teaching me boxing, and my maternal grandfather teaching me martial arts. All three of them are strong men [and] are veterans. [They] said, ‘We don’t raise victims, we raise survivors.’”