Bev Rasmussen did not live the typical childhood. In fact, some might say that her experience was the exact opposite. Abandoned by her mother at a young age and forced into a series of unfortunate foster home situations, Rasmussen found a way to defy the odds. Her journey is chronicled in her new book “Hope From Above: Living Up in a Down World.”
“My book’s main theme is hope,” Rasmussen said. “Abused and neglected as a child and a ward of the state, I managed to make it through almost 17 different abusive foster homes from 1959 until 1963. I was sexually, physically and mentally abused in several of them, including from my own mother.”
Rasmussen knew that if she was going to make anything of herself in the world, it was going to have to be through struggles and disappointments that only she could fix. The abuse left her scarred, scared and afraid to grow up.
“No matter how one is raised, we all have a free will and make choices throughout our lives,” she said. “When wrong choices are made, consequences are paid for us to learn from our mistakes. We all have to find something in our lives that help us to cope with life’s challenges. For me, it was my faith in God that saved me from the life of addiction … or suicide. I also found animals as comfort in times when human love was not to be found. This put my life on a career path of working with animals in all possible ways.”
Rasmussen obtained her bachelor’s degree right out of high school and went on to pursue a career in dog grooming. She became a certified master groomer, professional dog trainer, certified veterinary technician and animal behaviorist. Most recently, at 59, she obtained a master’s degree in animal science. Highlights of her career include training animals for the film “Grumpier Old Men” and receiving a kiss on the cheek from actor Bruce Willis during another of her on-set animal training sessions.
“I hope that my story will help the reader learn how to cope through dysfunction, abuse and neglect,” she said. “As a speaker across the state of Minnesota in the Alanon program, I have heard stories that would make one cringe. All have a very similar denominator: a not-so-perfect childhood. My own daughter was a drug addict over a decade of her life. I learned this disease is real and can be found on every street corner. A poor childhood, abuse and neglect are the reasons behind almost every story.”
“Hope: Living Up In A Down World” is available at From the Heart Bible and Gift at 25 Lake St. N. in Forest Lake or online at Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.