Child Abuse Survivor Raises Awareness For Other Victims

At first glance, Mark Lawmaster looks like your typical college student.

But behind those glasses are layers of physical and emotional scars from years of abuse.

“I think it’s important that kids and parent alike understand child abuse,” Lawmaster said.

The abuse came from Sonja and John Kluth.

Lawmaster said it started when he was just five, for small offenses like wetting the bed.

“Getting choked, feeling like I might die,” he said.

Gradually, the punishments got worse.

“Taking a metal spoon, taking a candle up to it and making it really hot and putting it on your tongue,” he said.

For a long time, Lawmaster said this was what he and his foster siblings considered normal and were often confused.

“John (Kluth) had this thing about hugging us before we went to bed, to help us feel something, I don’t know, I guess love,” Lawmaster said.

The abuse reached a peak when Lawmaster said he and his siblings were kept in kennels and starved.

One night, Lawmaster was caught sneaking out of the cellar to steal pet food.

He said he made the decision to run away.

“I thought that if I had gone back to the house, I would’ve probably died,” he said.

He was found sleeping on cardboard behind a Yukon store. Five years later, he has dreams of becoming an engineer.

He said he wants abuse victims to know that help is out there

“For the kids that are going through it that may or may not be watching this, they need to speak up somehow someway they need to speak up, run away something,” he said.

Lawmaster said he suffers from PTSD and social anxiety disorder.

Lawmaster said bike riding is one of his many coping mechanisms for his anxiety and his primary means of transportation.

Unfortunately, his current bike is falling apart.

He’s created a GoFundMe page to share his story and raise money to get a new ride.

He also said has written to and forgiven John Kluth for his role in the abuse but has not heard back from Sonja Kluth.