Written by: Stephanie, Survivor

My name is Stephanie, and I am a survivor of domestic violence. I want to share my story with you and give hope to anyone that is a domestic violence survivor or still in an abusive relationship. My passion – and mission – is to end domestic violence.

I was 15 years old when I started dating a guy with whom I later ended up becoming pregnant. My son was around four months old when the abuse started, and it continued every day after that. The abuse I endured included physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual. Later, I became pregnant a second time with my daughter; the abuse never stopped.

When I found out I was pregnant again, I didn’t want to live anymore. How could I end my life, though? My children were innocent in all of this. At that moment, I decided to tell my parents the truth and asked for their help to get me out. I left without telling him, because he always told me, “If I can’t have you, nobody will.”

He ended up finding me and broke the restraining order several times. On one occasion, he kidnapped me and held me hostage in a house and later held me hostage in my apartment for eight hours. Eventually, he had gotten involved with some bad people and had to leave the state. This is how I was ultimately able to get away from him.

I want everyone to know that there is hope and you will get through this no matter what.

**If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, there is help. You can visit the Break the Silence website at www.breakthesilencedv.org, chat with one of our helpline advocates at 855-287-1777, or send a private message through our Facebook page.

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