Tara Cook spent the first part of her life being shifted from one house to another. When she was ten Tara went to live with her dad & his girl friend Rose. All went well for a short time and then Rose began to abuse her. After she had lived there for about 15 months Rose informed her that she would have to do housework to earn her food. The woman was never satisfied though & Tara was hungry nearly all the time. She sneaked two candy bars from the kitchen one night and was caught. Rose handcuffed her to a stair railing. After that she was often handcuffed in a 3 X 3 linen closet. Two months after the abuse began her stepmother informed her that she could dress only on the days she was allowed to attend school, which by now was almost never. The rest of the time she would have to earn his clothing by cleaning house. The cruel woman sometimes made her stand outside naked in the snow for hours. A guidance counselor visited shortly after this and found the young Tara literally shaking. The counselor reported that she was so thin you could see every bone in her body. Thick makeup partially concealed serious injuries to her face, neck & arms. The marks of stove coils covered the back of one hand. Yet, Tara wasn’t removed from the home, at least not then. Rose moved without leaving a correct forwarding address. The following June Rose took the child to the hospital in a coma. She weighed only 35 pounds & her body temperature was only 80o. One side of her face was nearly collapsed, an ear had nearly been bit off. She had spent so much time in the tiny closet that her legs will never completely straighten. In spite of her tragic condition Tara Cook lived. (From a sermon I preached in ’91, not sure of original source)