Born in Cuba, Victor came with his family to the U.S. at the age of two, enduring horrific child abuse and witnessing abuse on the level of torture at the hands of his father. At age fifteen, Victor took the then unprecedented legal action against his father, going on to live with a series of foster families. Thanks to the intervention of his community, he turned his life around dramatically – going from gang-member to senior class President and lettering in four sports. He attended Florida State University on a full four-year football scholarship. A team captain and scholar athlete, upon graduation he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins with whom he was out as an offensive lineman for their 1978/79 seasons.

In 1999, with a successful career and family of his own, Victor decided to break his silence about his childhood. His ultimate survival and personal success convey the importance of intervention by others who helped him break the cycle of violence.