24-Hour Helpline
(920) 729-5727
Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services
P.O. Box 99
Neenah, WI 54957-0099
Phone: (920) 235-5998
Fax: (920) 729-0690
Standing Strong
The Story of "Survivor A"
I don't think he ever thought I would find the courage to leave him. I don't know where it came from, to be honest with you. Finally, the "volcano" began its sputter toward its final explosion and when it exploded I fled to the Christine Ann Center because there were serious concerns for my safety and my children's safety and our very lives.
And, thus began the journey that would transform my life. There are many barriers that exist to someone that uproots her life to free herself from the chains of abuse. First and foremost, the abuse doesn't go away just because she leaves. As I experienced, there was a heightened threat of further abuse, just of a different kind - more physical, more threats, much more verbal.
She suddenly becomes not only a single mother, but also the breadwinner all the while trying to heal from the past. Digging through all of the hardened lava-rock scars in order to create fertile soil again is a full time job in and of itself. The emotional impact of abuse is deep and painful.
At first I believed that P.O.W.E.R. (Christine Ann's and ADVOCAP's employment and training program) wasn't for me. I didn't need it. I could handle this on my own. Finally, I admitted that I needed some help and learned all that the program had to offer me. P.O.W.E.R. gave me the opportunity to look at my future with hope and a means to become self-sufficient.
Am I still healing? Yes, and I will be for a long time.
Am I free? Yes, I am free.
Am I an abuse victim? Yes, I am a victim.
But I am much more than that. I am a survivor.
