A local author is hoping to inspire others to find strength and healing through faith with the release of her new book, Victimized No More!
Helene M. DeWitt has drawn on more than four decades of personal experiences to write a deeply personal account focused on overcoming hardship and embracing perseverance. Through the book, she shares stories of navigating pain, betrayal, fear, rejection and trauma, while ultimately finding peace, joy and purpose.
Victimized No More! is a revised and expanded version of her earlier work, A Broken & Crushed Heart Restored, which was published through FriesenPress in 2023 and is no longer available. The new edition includes several additional chapters that delve deeper into her story.
“What inspired me to write the first book were friends back in Fergus, Ontario, that had read some of my stories and said I should write a book,” said DeWitt. “But I didn’t until I felt God had placed it on my heart to put a book together.”
After releasing her first book, DeWitt said encouragement from others prompted her to continue sharing more of her journey.
“After reading my first book, a friend suggested I go deeper because there’s still more to tell. I was surprised. But since 2023 more of my past came up and that’s how Victimized No More!came about,” she said.
DeWitt said the title itself reflects a turning point in her life.
“This title came to me and I believe it means freedom — that I am no longer controlled by the pains of my past,” she said. “Readers can be free from unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment — the list goes on.”
Her book speaks directly to readers who may be struggling with emotional wounds or difficult life circumstances, offering encouragement to keep moving forward and to trust in God during challenging times.
“I believe everyone has a story. I chose to share mine with the hopes of touching lives for the better — mostly to share the amazing faithfulness of God and all He’s done in my life,” she said. “He gave me a new, full heart that doesn’t ache anymore when certain memories come back to try and haunt me. I’m redeemed.”
DeWitt described her greatest challenge as enduring years of suffering, including depression and sadness.
“I thought the depression and sadness were my lot in life and I just had to live with it,” she said. “I never had a clue that God was such a personable Savior that wants us to be free from the chains of the past.”
Writing the book also became part of her healing journey — one that began many years ago with a simple but emotional step.
“I was led to write a story of hurt down on paper so many years ago. While writing, I was shaking and crying. I was devastated,” she said. “But it was doing something about the issue at hand. It brought a sense of relief.”
She later revisited those early writings with a different perspective.
“I thought I would rip it up and throw it out because I was doing better, but God said, ‘don’t throw it out; type it up,’” she said. “He showed me how to turn it into a story of hope.”
DeWitt now encourages others to take a similar step.
“I would recommend people write out their hurts. Don’t worry if it’s all pain and sadness — get it out and then put it aside and wait. Watch the faithfulness of God working in your life,” she said. “Go back and read it again as a healed person.”
Her message throughout the book is one of encouragement and renewal.
“There is plenty of hope, joy and happiness for people feeling defined by their painful past,” she said. “I hope readers enjoy the book, that some get a much closer walk with Jesus and that they take their faith deeper and learn to trust Him more.”
DeWitt said she is sharing her story locally in the hopes it will resonate within the community.
“I’m sharing with the community in the hopes that individuals will be touched and encouraged by reading Victimized No More!,” she said.
The book is available on Amazon in paperback for $16.99 and as a Kindle eBook for $4.99. The paperback is printed in size 14 font to make it easier to read. Copies are also being made available locally at Toews Printing & Supply, with some already placed at the Golden Prairie Arts Council.
DeWitt can be contacted at helenedewitt70@gmail.com for more information.
