I was born on May 3, 1984 în Lupeni Hunedoara, Romania. Only days old, my biological. mother left me at an orphanage in Breta, Romania.
Living conditions were intolerable--the orphanage staff locked me in a cage with other orphan boys; we were packed so tightly our shoulders pressed against one another, we sat in our own urine and feces, we cried for hours and rocked ourselves back and forth for comfort.

At night the staff dressed in white sheets and scared us into thinking they were ghosts that would get us if we not sleep.

Eating was always a struggle--I would do anything to get food, even defend myself from others trying to steal it. Frequently I went hungry.
I lived there seven years where I repeatedly suffered sexual and physical abuse by different men,
The staff tied my wrist pole so I could not go anywhere, There I was sex trafficked, and if I did not submit, I was beaten so badly I could not move.
I was adopted March 31, 1991 by an American couple. We came to the United States. I did not understand English, I did not know right from wrong; I did not like being disciplined; I did not
trust my adoptive parents. I did not feel safe--my adoptive parents abused me--physically and
mentally. I ran away, several times; I tried to kill myself. I came to school with dried blood on my face.
The school notified Child Protective Services….
I was placed in a group home in 1996. Suffering from Adolescent Attachment Disorder, I never adjusted so from twelve to nineteen-years-old, I was moved from one group home to another.

I was released from the State in 2003, on my nineteenth birthday. On my own, I suffered trying to be independent without having anyone to help me. I started using drugs and drank to escape, I became addicted, and for six years I used meth, heroin, and alcohol. I tried again to commit suicide.

I quit using drugs and drinking in 2008. Unsuccessful at committing suicide and living
homeless, I walked away from drugs and the people that were affiliated with my drug past. I took one day at a time, decided to make my miserable past mean something, and started living right.

I published my first book in 2016. In Behind Silent Eyes I told my story. I traveled in Utah and Idaho where I spoke to organizations with troubled youth, sharing my story and how I overcame drug addiction and quit drinking.

I went to the France Cannes Film Fest in 2018. I presented a documentary film I made of my life. I want to return when I complete it, telling my story through 2024.
I went home to Romania in May 2024. After years of therapeutic counseling, I felt ready to return to the place where so much that I wanted to forget had happened, I learned my biological mother had died—I never met her, I never learned why she abandoned me, I felt a loss I may never lose.

I met my biological brothers, one in Romani and one in Austria, I talked to my third
brother who lives in Canada, I stayed with my brothers in Europe and learned about their lives.
And I returned to the orphanage and confronted feelings I had suppressed my entire life. I will return to Romania in 2025. I want to learn about my family, my culture, and then I will write the rest of my story and publish my second book, Behind Silent Eyes, I Am Iancu.
I will also complete my documentary so I tell my entire story.
I live now to educate people about what happened to me in Romania and what still happens to other children. I want my life to make a difference, to help others who also feel abandoned, lost,
worthless, and without hope. I want my life to show them they are worthy and can have hope.