Life AFTER the Down Low
by Ingrid M. Ellis

What would you do if you found out that the person you were married to for more than a decade was living a secret double life on the down low…the D.L.? How would you feel knowing that the person you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with was accused of molesting multiple children while in his care as youth pastor? Many have said they would have lost their minds, others would have remained silent out of shame. It’s the hush that kills. Women are dying because men are lying. The "down low," is a term coined for men who live dual lives as husbands, boyfriends and homosexuals. They steal the choices of those whom they claim to love and leave them to pick up the pieces - even if it means being infected with AIDS or HIV . The degradation, resentment and trauma that many women face is often times irreparable. "Life AFTER the Down Low," takes you on a journey as you read the ebbs and flows of the life of Ingrid M. Ellis. In her candid dissertation, she likens her experience to a death. The grief stages were evident, stress and depression became visible and healing was hard fought. Never in her wildest imagination did she expect this to be the landscape of her life. Now a single mother of an autistic son, it was clear that she had to pull it together - and quick. Through her faith in God and determination, Ingrid is not only a survivor, she has thrived. She uses her experience and wisdom to reach women and men across the globe. Her message is clear, "It’s time for us to start talking. We can no longer hide this silent killer". There is life - after the down low.