Throughout my marriage I was isolated from my friends and family. My ex-husband was trained as a sniper in the military and constantly warned me of the consequences if I was to ever share with friends and family the things happening in our home.
Some of the things he did not want me sharing with people over the years were: the black eyes, fractured ribs, facial stitches, lacerations, floggings, second and third degree burns over 28% of my body, scratched cornea, cracked vertebrae, knives held to my throat, being shot at, held underwater in the bathtub, and the countless bruises on my body.
The night that I managed to escape followed an exceptionally aggressive beating with an oak cane. I had nowhere to go and was too afraid to return. For three nights I slept under bridges and in abandoned buildings. On the fourth day, a Good Samaritan gave me the phone number to a Sacramento homeless shelter. This shelter referred me to WEAVE, the largest provider of crisis intervention services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Sacramento County. WEAVE services are available free to anyone who needs them, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or income level.
I called WEAVE's 24-Hour Crisis Line from a pay phone. I was scared, battered, and had been without my children for days. The woman on the line was professional, patient, and extremely helpful. She explained to me that WEAVE had a Safehouse where I could stay with my children. The WEAVE van picked me and my children up; the children were ages ten, four, and ten months.
WEAVE's Safehouse advocates welcomed us with support and kindness. Together, my children and I learned the skills necessary to overcome the cycle of domestic violence and improve our self-esteem. With the guidance and counsel of the WEAVE staff, my family gained the confidence to begin our new life, free from violence.
The staff of WEAVE assisted me in obtaining financial and medical assistance during this transitional period. When we left the Safehouse, I worked two jobs to provide for my three children while attending night school. Since then I've obtained my Bachelor's degree, my Masters of Business Administration (MBA), and recently passed the Comprehensive Exam toward my Doctorial degree (PhD) in Business with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management.
Without WEAVE, my children and I would have been another tragic news story. WEAVE's free programs and services assisted me in regaining control of my life. WEAVE has not only changed, touched, and improved the quality of life for countless families, but SAVED lives, including my own.
