Survivor Stories

• 

  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

• 

  Survivor Story: Maralee McLean

  Her ex-husband committed the ultimate act of domestic violence when he sexually abused their daughter—and then got custody of her | Maralee McLean endured years of em... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Amy Phoenix

  The struggle to end a marriage for good | Amy Phoenix could be considered a two-time survivor, a badge of honor that no one really wants to wear. Her first marriage... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Caroline Abbott

  Her biggest regret is shielding her children from the truth | “The first years were good,” says Caroline Abbott of her 20-year marriage. It wasn’t until the last 10... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Alyssa

  Looking back on her high school relationship, she knows she escaped an abusive future | Remember teenage love? All those wacky hormones and new feelings and butterf... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Anna

  Enduring dating abuse in her 20s influenced what she wants her kids to know now | Dating someone in her 20s who was verbally and psychologically abusive isn’t somet... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Beth Baumann

  This young college student didn’t realize she was raped until six weeks after it happened | Four years ago, Beth Baumann was a college freshman, 18 years old and aw... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Nancy Virden

  'We don’t have to be defined by our history.' | As a child, Nancy Virden witnessed constant physical and emotional abuse that her father inflicted upon her ... read more

• 

  Survivor Story: Regina Rowley

  She couldn’t fight back against her father—now, she teaches women how to defend themselves | Her father’s typical implement of choice for disciplining her was a bel... read more