Even at the coronation as Miss America, Marilyn believed she was blessed by fate: a daughter of wealthy parents, talented, attractive, popular, athletic. I would have bet that I was the happiest woman who ever lived. The night child, who was abused by her ruthless father from the age of 5 to 18, was dissociated from her consciousness. It wasn't until the age of 53 that Marilyn was able to publicly say: I survived incest. For many years, she suffered from pain and anxiety. Eventually, she went public with her story, turning it into a triumph over shame. Van Derbur describes in understandable terms how she had dissociated from the abuse by her father over the years and ultimately managed to overcome the painful experience of betrayal. She herself says: On the journey itself, I was often desperate.