Survivor Stories

• 

  The Good Wife

  Forced to marry a stranger at 16, she spent a decade being isolated, humiliated and assaulted. Then, she planned her escape | When I was a kid, my only goal was to ... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Nancy Wilkinson

  ‘I thought he was a gift from God. Then he tried to kill me.’ | Nancy Wilkinson has never been in a healthy relationship. “I’ve been married four times and ev... read more

• 

  Survivor: Christopher Anderson

  Severe neglect and abuse as a child sent one man on a lifetime journey of healing | Christopher Anderson grew up with domestic violence, but not the paradigm experien... read more

• 

  Survivor: Suzanna

  After escaping abuse, my ex began to cyberstalk me | After 13 years of marriage to a man who would eventually be diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, I... read more

• 

  Forbidden Food

  When abuse includes forced starvation and malnutrition | One of the great things about being an adult versus a kid is we get to make our own choices. We can wear wh... read more

• 

  When Survivors Are the Criminals

  In trying to prevent their own murders at the hands of their abusers, two survivors found themselves behind bars | Kim Dadou spent 17 years in prison for fatally sh... read more

• 

  Withholding Intimacy Can Be Abusive, Too

  Another type of sexual abuse includes using sex to taunt, control a victim | Michele Weston describes herself as “a smart girl with a college degree” who, for a whi... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Mimi Ortiz

  I was in denial until my abuser took me hostage | It started out like any normal relationship, with the dating and the dinners. But it moved quickly and the abuse s... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Mildred Muhammed

  'I was married to the D.C. Sniper' | In October 2002, a series of related shootings throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. were carried out by 4... read more

• 

  Running for Her Life

  One survivor tells how running helped her heal after almost losing her life to domestic violence | Liane Daniels took up running in high school, but life got in the... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Amy Olsen

  ‘I felt like a prisoner of war, just trying to survive’ | I’ve blocked out a lot of my childhood, but I have flashbacks of abuse and neglect. I can remember witness... read more

• 

  'I Went Back'

  Why some survivors return and what happens next | In an anonymous survey on DomesticShelters.org, more than 40 percent of the 366 responders said they chose to retu... read more

• 

  Survivor: Jennifer

  Two abusive husbands later, one woman says all she can do is hope for a better future | I had a great childhood. I was raised by a single mom. I felt loved, but the... read more

• 

  Volunteering to Heal

  Could helping others help you? | Pictured above: Audrey Mabrey, right, with a fellow survivor. Audrey Mabrey’s husband wasn’t abusive during their marriage. ... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Ron Blake

  'I found my own, unique way to take back my life.' | One December night six years ago, while Ron Blake was asleep in his Phoenix, Ariz., home, three men bro... read more