BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- Dess Perkins is a fighter. She's had to fight for everything she has in life. There were many times her circumstance -- the cruel realities of a drug-addicted mother, poverty, sexual abuse, human trafficking, gangs, alcohol and teenage pregnancy -- almost beat her, but like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes. Perkins' story is graphic and heartbreaking, but it's also triumphant and inspiring. She wrote much of it down in a book titled, "Warrior." It's important to share her story as we work together as a community to end human trafficking. ‘I’m doing what wasn’t done for me’: Bakersfield woman shows resilience, strength after traumatic experiences of her youth "It's a struggle and it's a fight. You know they say you stay in this fight or flight mode? I was in fight at all times. I felt I was fighting for my life. I felt I was fighting to feed my brothers and sisters; I felt I was fighting to feel worth something, I felt I was fighting to even be seen as a person or an individual, and not just someone who would be a mattress for men to lay on. So, I was in a constant fight," Perkins said. Perkins says she needed someone to protect her, but was vulnerable and abused at a young age. Perkins: "I always wanted a father because I felt these things wouldn't happen. A father would protect me, I would go to these dances with a father. So yeah, I wanted a dad." Maddie Janssen: "And then when [he] came around?" Perkins: "Initially it was great. At first my aunt didn't want us around him because my mom had just met him and my mom was moving back and forth doing all these things. But then we ended up going around him and he had daughters. So I thought, this is going to be great, I have sisters now. And his sons lived right up the street, so I have some brothers and sisters, it's gonna be a family. So I thought it was gonna be amazing, but it tragically turned different." Janssen: So you talk in [the book] about the very first time you were molested. How old were you when that happened? Remarkable Women: Interview with Odessa Perkins and a surprise meeting with the woman who helped change her life Perkins: "I would say 5 or 6 maybe? It was very subtle, I would say he groomed me, definitely. He did all these things to scare us. He pretty much owned us, he controlled our mind. He made sure that we did everything he wanted. I would see him hit on my mom, I even saw him throw a refrigerator on my mom. So I'm scared of him, but I also want him to be my dad, so if you're telling me this is the way things have to be, then this is the way things have to be." Perkins: "By the time I started having full blown sex, I was around 7 or 8." Janssen: "Do you ever feel like your childhood was stolen?" Perkins: "Absolutely, absolutely. I never experienced a graduation. I didn't have a eighth grade graduation. I didn't get to go to our eighth grade trip, because my mom had paid for it, my eighth grade trip. She paid for it, but she wanted the money back because she was fiending during that time. So me and her walked up to the school the day of the trip. We were going to Magic Mountain. That would have been my first trip ever to Magic Mountain, in eighth grade. She cussed everyone out, parents, kids, the principal, and this is how long ago this was, Magic Mountain was $40 at that time. So, she cussed them out and got that $40 back and I cried, we were walking home and I cried and cried because I wanted to go so bad." Perkins' mom was addicted to drugs and the obsession for getting them continued over the years. For Perkins, the verbal, physical and sexual abuse and neglect, just got worse. CPS removed Perkins and her brothers and sisters several times, but her mother always completed court-ordered parenting classes and regained custody. One time Perkins' mother was arrested for prostitution and sent to jail for three or four months. What should have been a reprieve from devastating abuse for Perkins, turned out to be another sad turn in her life. Her temporary guardian began molesting her. Then just a middle schooler, Perkins started to drink, to escape. At one point a pastor told Perkins: 'You're not responsible for what other people do to you, you're only responsible for what you do to other people, so make what you do count." Never miss a story: Make KGET.com your homepage After nearly ending up in prison for five years, she took that advice to heart. As a single mother to four children, Perkins enrolled in college. She obtained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in child development. But she didn't stop there, she went on to receive a masters in business and a masters in educational counseling as well as a teaching credential. After recording her unbelievable life story in her book, "Warrior," she was approached by State Senator Shannon Grove to work on passing a bill to bring justice to human trafficking survivors like herself. Eventually, it would lead to starting her own non-profit, Empowerment Dess Perkins Foundation. Maddie: "If you could go back and tell that young girl that you are being named remarkable woman of the year, what would she say, what would her reaction be?" Dess: "I'll go back to when we signed the bill for SB-14, and when I spoke at the press conference, one of the last statements I made was, now that young girl can rest. She would tell me, thank you for protecting me, thank you for keeping me, and I would tell her, now you can rest, because I got this from here." If you are being trafficked, there is help. You can call: 1-888-373-7888. You can also text HELP to 233-733. You can find out about other resources that can help at https://kcaht.org/. And you can find out more about Dess's foundation at https://empowermentdp.org/ ...read more read less