Jane Doe No More (53 page)

Beyond the book, I want to extend my immense thanks to Andrew “Fazz” Farrell, Anita Bezjak, Therese Hegarty, Geoff Fitzpatrick, Alex Barry, John Luscombe, and everyone else at Beyond Productions in Australia who have believed in me all these years, along with my
Dark Minds
road crew: Colette “Coco” Sandstedt, Geoff “Sausage” Thomas, Jared Transfield, Julie Haire, Elizabeth Daley, Jeremy Adair, Paddy, and Jen Longhurst; along with my producers at Investigation Discovery: Jeanie Vink, Sara Kozak (senior vice president of production), and Sucheta Sachdev. David Schaefer (director of communications) has become a great mentor in all things media, and I appreciate Dave’s love for and dedication to
Dark Minds.
Likewise, Nancy Wilson and Heather Lyons are great assets to the ID team; both have become great friends. A special shout-out to Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery, who has been behind my show since day one.

I would be negligent not to mention all the booksellers throughout New England and beyond—the indie stores and the chains—who have supported me and talked up my books to their customers (thank you from the bottom of my heart); and my readers: You are the most wonderful people—thank you for sticking with me all these years!

Lastly, thanks to my immediate family (Matty, Jordon, April, and Regina), who have stood behind me forever.

Finally, Donna Palomba would like to express her appreciation.

First and foremost, I must acknowledge that it is through God’s grace and love that I have been able to persevere.

My sincere thanks go out to M. William Phelps for his desire to tell my story and for his belief in me and the importance of my work. When I set out to do something, I immerse myself in it. In many ways, collaborating on the book was difficult—I felt very vulnerable as I shared things never before revealed and was reminded day after day of all the disturbing details that had become my life. M. William Phelps understood that and helped me to, as he said many times, “embrace the process.” I tried my best, knowing we had to get through the tough stuff in order to share a message of hope. And M. William Phelps’s incredible work ethic and engaging writing style enabled the process to stay on a great track. I am forever grateful that he stood by the project even while some believed it would be better off not in print. In the end, I feel Lyons Press was meant to publish this work and, like M. William Phelps, I want to thank Keith Wallman and Janice Goldklang for standing by my side throughout.

Of course, I wouldn’t be here today were it not for the love and support of my family and friends: my husband, John, our beautiful children, Sarah and Johnny, my mom, and my sister, Maria, my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Even though my father is no longer with us, he lives in my heart always.

I also wish to thank all of John’s family and our dearest friends, Lisa and Santo Sampino.

And finally, to everyone on our growing Jane Doe No More team (staff, board of directors, volunteers, and supporters), thank you for sharing my dream and working with me to make it a reality.

So many people have voiced astonishment that my husband and I were able to stay together through it all. To us, there was no other way. We held each other up and, surrounded by our loved ones, our marriage grew stronger. It is fitting that I leave you with the lyrics to our wedding song thirty years ago:

’Til I Can Gain Control Again

written by Rodney Crowell

(Reprinted with permission of Rodney Crowell)

Just like the sun over the mountaintop

You know I’ll always come again

You know I love to spend my morningtime

Like sunlight dancing on your skin

I’ve never gone so wrong

As for telling lies to you

What you see is what I’ve been

There is nothing I could hide from you

You see me better than I can

Out on the road that lies before me now

There are some turns where I will spin

I only hope that you can hold me now

’Til I can gain control again

And like a lighthouse

you must stand alone

Landmark the sailor’s journey’s end

No matter what sea

I’ve been sailing on

I’ll always pass this way again

Out on the road that lies before me now

There are some turns where I will spin

I only hope that you can hold me now

’Til I can gain control again

ABOUT
THE
AUTHORS

Crime expert, television personality, and star of Investigation Discovery’s
Dark Minds,
investigative journalist
M. William Phelps
is the national best-selling, award-winning author of twenty-one nonfiction books. Winner of the 2008 New England Book Festival Award for
I’ll Be Watching You,
Phelps has appeared on CBS’s
Early Show,
truTV, The Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel,
ABC’s
Good Morning America,
The Learning Channel, Biography Channel, History Channel,
Montel Williams,
Investigative Discovery,
Geraldo at Large,
USA Radio Network,
Catholic Radio, Ava Maria Radio, ABC News Radio, and Radio America, which calls him “the nation’s leading authority on the mind of the female murderer.” He is one of the principal stars of the hit Investigation Discovery show
Deadly Women,
now airing its fifth season. He’s written for the
Providence Journal, Hartford Courant
, and the
New London Day,
and has been profiled in such noted publications as
Writer’s Digest, NY Daily News, The Sun, Newsday, Albany Times-Union, Hartford Courant, Connecticut Magazine, Advance for Nurses
magazine,
Forensic Nursing,
and
NY Post.
He has also consulted for the Showtime cable television series
Dexter.
He lives in a small Connecticut farming community and can be reached at his author website, www.mwilliamphelps.com.

The face and founder of the education and advocacy group Jane Doe No More, Inc. (
www.janedoenomore.org
),
Donna Palomba
is recognized nationwide as a powerful voice for survivors of sexual assault. Since first telling her story on a 2007 episode of
Dateline NBC,
Donna has become a sought-after public speaker and media resource, logging appearances on local and national television and radio shows, including NBC’s
Today
and Biography’s
I Survived.
She is the driving force behind Jane Doe No More’s mission to improve the way society responds to victims of sexual assault.

Donna successfully lobbied for legislative changes that protect the rights of sexual assault survivors and was instrumental in the creation of Duty Trumps Doubt, a training video used by law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Through her national nonprofit Jane Doe No More, Donna established Raising Awareness through Personal Experience (RAPE), a groundbreaking outreach program that trains sexual assault survivors to touch the community as motivational speakers and mentors.

Donna Palomba was named Woman of the Year by the Business Women’s Forum and Working Woman of the Year by the Connecticut Department of Labor, Westfarms Mall, and L’Oreal Paris. She has received awards and accolades from local bar associations, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Chamber of Commerce, and Toastmasters, to name a few. She is a current and founding board member of reset Social Enterprise Trust and a member of Naugatuck Valley Community College Regional Advisory Council. She has served on the board of directors of Special Olympics Connecticut, the United Way, and the Non-Profit Assistance Initiative.

Donna enjoyed a childhood centered on family and faith. Here she is with her sister, Maria, in 1961.

John and Donna met during their college years in the late 1970s.

Donna’s husband, John Palomba, was raised in a large, close-knit family. In this photograph from 1965, the family celebrates the election of Fred Palomba, John’s father, as mayor of Waterbury.

Donna and John were married at Blessed Sacrament Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, on October 10, 1981.