Surviving Incest

Rena says the relationship finally ended when she was 25. "My brother wanted me to go to South America or somewhere because he was dealing drugs and he wanted me to mule the drugs for him. He tried to have sex with me that day too," she says. "I just [said] no. No to the drugs. No to the sex. And he threw a temper tantrum. And he was screaming and ranting and raving and he was saying that his girlfriend at the time was more of a sister to him than I was because she would give him sex and do the drugs."

After that, Rena says her brother moved to California and she moved to Florida. "I just wanted as much real estate between us as possible, and he did try to get me to move to California," she says. "I knew I was programmed, and I knew that I needed to be de-programmed if I was going to live my life."

Rena's brother died in January 2009. Between his death and Mackenzie's confession, Rena says she feels more empowered than ever to speak out. "Everybody could accept that I was abused by my brother, but they could not accept that it went on from the age of 18 to 24 or 25. And I was afraid to tell that because I would be judged."

If there's anything Rena wants others to learn from her story, it's that sexually abusive relationships are never consensual. "To consent is to be of sound mind and body," she says. "To consent is to not be a family member—not to be a sister or a daughter."