Survivor Stories
-
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
-
Ignoring Abuse By a Police Officer
How everyone looked the other way when one cop abused another | As a young female recruit of the Chicago Police Department in the 1980s, Rev. Sharon Ellis Davis, Ph... read more
-
Survivor Story: April Hernandez-Castillo
Actor and activist shares her story of overcoming teen dating violence | April Hernandez-Castillo is an actress with roles in the movie Freedom Writers and the TV seri... read more
-
Survivor Story: E. Marie Hall
Enduring the deaths of her mother and sister, one survivor went on to share a message of hope | Many domestic violence survivors share their stories, hoping they ca... read more
-
Survivor Story: Amy Thomson
She knows it’ll take her whole life to heal, but she’s grateful she escaped with her life | Survivors know their abusers and their own personal situations better th... read more
-
Survivor Story: Brigid Cox
‘Now I can breathe. I’m free’ | For 25 years, Brigid Cox thought the abuse she faced at the hands of her husband wasn’t that bad. “Even when he put a gun up to my h... read more
-
Survivor Story: Crystal Sanchez
She’s using her experience with dating abuse as a teen to help adult survivors today | Crystal Sanchez is a survivor. But a decade after leaving her 8-year relationsh... read more
-
Survivor Story: Katelyn
Mother's childhood domestic violence carried over to her children | Three years ago, Katelyn was the victim of a brutal assault, stabbed with a knife in her bac... read more
Search Articles
Categories
- After Abuse
- Around the World
- Ask Amanda
- Child Custody
- Childhood Domestic Violence
- Children and Teens
- COVID-19
- Diversity Matters
- DomesticShelters.org Book Club
- Elder Abuse
- Ending Domestic Violence
- Escaping Violence
- Financial
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Gaslighting
- Health
- Heroes Fighting Domestic Violence
- Housing
- Human Trafficking
- Identifying Abuse
- In the News
- Legal
- Men as Survivors
- Pets
- Protecting Personal Affects
- Protection Orders
- Relationships
- Safety Planning
- Statistics
- Survivor Stories
- Taking Care of You
- Technology
- Workplace and Employment
- Your Voice