DALLAS Aaron Fisher was the first to allege sexual abuse at the hands of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, whom he met when he was just 11.
After he came forward, Fisher became known as "Victim No. 1."
"I hated being branded with the label," he said, explaining he doesn't consider himself a victim since he has been working since Sandusky s conviction to empower others in the battle against abuse.
"It's very therapeutic," Fisher said.
In his quest to educate others, Fisher has repeatedly told his story to investigators and attorneys, and even in the pages of a book called "Silent No More."
But there s nothing quite like sharing his story with a live audience, he said, and on Monday, Fisher did that with his largest crowd yet at the Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas.
"I enjoy helping other people see what I went through was completely and utterly wrong," he said.
Fisher wants everyone to know it wasn t just Sandusky who hurt him; he was also let down by his high school after he reported the abuse.
"The school officials that told me to 'go home and think about it,'" he said.
Fisher is among several victims working on a settlement with Penn State University. Back in February, the Associated Press reported Mike Boni, who represents Fisher, was told by attorney Ken Feinberg, a lawyer brought in by Penn State, that the victim's demands were "too much."
"'You're asking for too much, I'll see what I can deliver,"' Boni said Feinberg said. "At the end of the day, I don't think we're all that far apart."
Fisher said he was failed again by a justice system that was very reluctant at first to believe his allegations against a beloved sports icon.
"I can t change the way they did it, but I can change the way other people do it," he said.
That is why even with Sandusky locked away Fisher is still telling his dreadful story.
E-mail jwheeler@wfaa.com
