Have you seen the No More PSA’s during the NFL games?

If you haven’t, check it out here

I think it’s a step in the right direction. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a small step but none the less, it’s a step. When the media brought attention to Ray Rice and his abusive behavior, people began taking notice. It’s a shame that there had to be video footage for people to say, “this isn’t right”. How many cases of dv (domestic violence) have there been before that was not on camera? How many women suffer in silence still?

Domestic Violence is a heated topic, it makes people uncomfortable and there seems to be no way to resolve the deadly crime. As a survivor, I think we have to keep pushing forward. We have to keep working at having our voices heard for those who suffer in silence.

For 7 years, I was involved in an abusive relationship. I endured emotional, verbal, physical, financial and sexual abuse from the time I was 14 until I was 22. I was not raised in an abusive home, I have loving parents who are still married to this day, I had loving, caring people in my life but yet I became a victim.

It doesn’t seem so long ago to me, but yet domestic violence was not talked about so I had no idea that if he didn’t hit me on my face that it could still be abuse. I didn’t learn about domestic violence until I reported on a story about it. After I went to my first counseling session, I learned how close to death I was in that relationship and it was overwhelming.

I see this ad and I get goosebumps. I hope and pray these NFL players truly mean NO MORE and that they help spread the message that domestic violence should not be tolerated.

It’s been 8 years since I left my abuser and there are things that still haunt me today. I’m fortunate to have a wonderful, Godly man as my husband now but getting to this point in my life has been a journey.

Many survivors will tell you that although the physical abuse hurts, it’s the emotional abuse that lingers on. I always say, the bruises on the outside may heal, it’s the ones on the inside that can last a lifetime.