But her life changed forever in February. She now loves that she has the opportunity to learn to walk, and run, again.

Tina, a former State Farm^® employee, was shot seven times by her estranged husband. At least one of those shots was to the head.

After some marital problems, Tina separated from her husband. He attempted to win her back numerous times. When he realized she was planning to pursue a divorce, he attacked her at her home.

“I was getting ready for work when he kicked the door in and came into my house,” Tina says. “He told me no one else could have me, and then he began shooting.”

Tina was in the hospital for 19 days, followed by inpatient recovery for six weeks, including reconstructive surgery on her hand. She then completed four weeks of outpatient work, and continues to have intensive physical rehabilitation three hours a day, three days a week.

“When I first woke up, I couldn’t feel anything below my waist,” says Tina. “Now I’m walking with a walker. I’m hoping in the next six months I’ll be back to walking on my own. I want to return to being a fitness instructor and a runner.”

The first two years of rehabilitation are when patients experience the most improvements, so Tina is hoping to make the most of her next two years. Tina ran six half-marathons in 2017. “In 2020, my goal is to run 12 half-marathons.”

Tina knows she has a lot of recovery ahead of her, but she’s celebrating her rehabilitation and the first responders who saved her.

“My niece wanted to do something for me, and she suggested we do a benefit race during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Tina says. “I loved the idea. It benefits the North Georgia Mountain Crisis Network Inc. and the Cherokee Family Violence Center in Canton, Ga.”

The event included a 5K run, a 1-mile fun run, games and face painting. Tina shared her story and thanked the paramedic, EMT and police officers who helped save her during her domestic violence attack.

“It went well. We had 281 runners. I participated in the 1-mile run. I did most of it my wheelchair, but I walked across the finish line,” Tina says.

My voice is strong

Knowing what I know now I would never have gone

Into the arms of a man who had never grown

As Dawn read aloud her poem, her words were punctuated by painful sounds only she could hear: a car door slamming, tires screeching. She offered to share her story, “Because by doing so I can help to break the cycle of abuse.”

Violence comes home

Not long after her marriage, Dawn began to notice frightening changes in her husband’s behavior. “He would come home from work and you could just feel the tension,” she says. “Suddenly you had a drill sergeant in the house.”

“All of us, but especially the children, experienced a lot of verbal and physical abuse,” Dawn continued. “My older kids (from a previous marriage) were only seven and eight then, but he whipped them and made them do push-ups to punish them. He tied my son to the bed with plastic handcuffs. It was like a nightmare.”

This part of Dawn’s story reached its end on a quiet Saturday morning in San Antonio, Texas. Dawn’s husband was already in a rage.

“I don’t like to argue, so I just let him talk,” she says. “Then I walked outside to get something out of the car and he followed and jumped into the driver’s seat. I was reaching into the passenger’s side of the car, with our two-year-old son on my hip, when he slammed the car in reverse. I thought he was going to run us over so I took off for the house and locked the door.”

As Dawn’s husband pounded on their patio door, she waited for the police. “That was the last straw,” she says. “I packed a duffel bag of things and we never looked back.”

No more bullying or fights before my sight . . .

Finding hope and the right help

After moving to St. Louis, Mo., Dawn found family support and the strength to begin a new life. She connected with Family Resource Center’s Redevelopment Opportunities for Women (ROW) programs.

ROW is a comprehensive set of programs providing the tools domestic violence survivors need to regain control of their lives and break the cycle of abuse and financial hardship. ROW's Economic Action program, supported by State Farm, includes financial literacy, budgeting, saving, credit counseling, as well as a variety of family and emotional counseling support services.

“Dawn is definitely a survivor,” says Suvekshya Joshi, a former ROW Family and Economic Advocate. “She took our parenting and finance classes and qualified for our Individual Development Account (IDA) program. She put her job earnings into a special account where we matched her savings two-for-one so she could purchase a car. Now we meet regularly to work on budgeting, and then we talk about her children.”

The toll of domestic abuse

Domestic abuse has a profoundly widespread, damaging effect. In the U.S. alone, more than 38 million women have experienced physical violence from partners. (CDC). Men who were exposed to domestic violence as children are three to four times more likely to commit it themselves as adults. (Source: World Health Organization).

Financial hardship plays a large role in perpetuating the cycle of abuse. Eighty-five percent of women who leave an abusive relationship return (Forbes), with financial issues being a leading factor in those decisions. Studies have shown women who connect to programs such as ROW are better able to leave their abusive relationships and feel safer, more independent, and more in control of their own lives. (Huffington Post)

Strength finds a new home

My bruises are gone

My thoughts are clear

My inspiration is always near . . .

Looking into those little eyes gave me hope

Dawn’s children have been in counseling for depression, but they are doing well, she says. “My kids keep me motivated. They see how I struggle with finances and keeping our family together, but I tell them, ‘As long as I have air in my lungs, I am going to keep on fighting.’”

And fight she will – not just for herself, but for all women. “My dream,” she says proudly, “is to open a non-profit to help women return to independence after living with an abuser.”

My name is Strength.

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse, please seek help. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).