She's Still Standing / ELAINE GRANT










Elaine Grant grew up in Jamaica, but it wasn't until her family moved to Canada that her life started turning upside-down. Elaine had been a free-spirited child, but she started to shut down after some family friends molested her. She felt too open, unprotected, that she was on display for anyone to use, and she didn't feel safe. Elaine refrained from telling her parents, not because she felt they wouldn't believe her but because she didn't want to cause any trouble. As a teenager her parents were very strict parents and firm believers in corporal punishment. This made her afraid of her father and Elaine remembers one day where she physically fought with her dad. She knew her dad loved her but there was this anger in his eyes that frightened her. That incident along with the strict leash her parents had over her gave her the incentive to run away. She wanted to live her life and be free. And that decision changed everything.

Elaine had run away with a friend, and both of them found a waitressing job to support themselves. However, when they arrived they learned that part of the job required them to take their clothes off. Elaine and her friend were cajoled to regard stripping as no big deal, and soon she got sucked into the world of a stripper, finding herself in drugs, alcohol and occasionally prostitution. Getting high and drunk was a way of coping with this new lifestyle. Elaine even changed her name to her stage name because she felt so isolated from who she truly was. She didn't relate to Elaine anymore.















Alcohol was taking over her life. Elaine found herself bending over the toilet and she felt like her internal organs were going to be hurled out. She cried out to God, "Just help me! If you clean me up, I will change my life."

Nothing happened in that moment, but it wasn't until later on Elaine noticed she hadn't had a drink for a week. She had this new feeling and felt completely refreshed. For many years her sister would invite her to church and Elaine never went because of a hangover from the night before, but now Elaine wanted to go and reconnect with a part of her old self. It was amazing. She felt welcomed home and at peace. She started seeing changes in her life and she felt like God was bringing her into a whole new world that was so much more peaceful. Elaine is no longer in darkness, Jesus turned her life around. At first the fact that God loved her was difficult to accept but Elaine kept herself open and went with the feeling of God's love for her. She was Elaine again.

At this time in her life, Elaine met with many people at church and would openly talk about her past drug and alcohol addiction, but in writing her new book, "She's Still Standing" Elaine had to face her shame over her past of being a stripper. She now feels God has been bringing her back to how she used to be, but still being a whole new person. She feels bold, more loved, she can give love to ladies that are in clubs and bad situations, saying, "I've been here. God saved me and delivered me."

If you'd like to pick up a copy of Elaine's book, "She's Still Standing," click here