Domestic Violence: A Survivor's Story

Glynis is a successful business owner, educator, mentor, mother, grandmother, friend, and community leader. To see her today, you would never know her journey includes years of violence and abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, from which she was finally able to break free with the help of The Domestic Violence Shelter. 

Glynis’ harrowing story starts off like so many others. Her high school sweetheart was a bit of a dreamboat – so handsome, athletic, popular, and charming. They fell deeply in love and were married in short order. But Glynis’ fairy tale love story soon began to fall apart. Hers was a marriage marked by rising tensions and growing fears.

Finally, the night came when her husband’s rage boiled over, and she found herself stifling her screams and muffling her cries as he repeatedly beat her with a wooden axe handle. The brutal attack was so violent, and it went on for so long, that it only ended when her husband, exhausted from the exertion, collapsed into sleep. 

“I can still hear the sound it made when that axe handle hit my body,” she said. “He was hitting my bare legs, and my arms because I had them up to protect my head and my face.”  

Despite her excruciating pain and severe injuries, Glynis was finally able to sneak outside the room where her husband had fallen asleep. When she did, she found all four of her children waiting with plastic bags already packed full of their clothing. They had heard everything, and they were ready to leave. Glynis bundled the children into the car and drove directly to The Domestic Violence Shelter. By the time they arrived, the blood from her wounds had soaked through her clothing, even saturating the thick denim of her jeans. It is a terrible memory of a terrible night, but Glynis still recalls the compassion and grace with which she and her children were met at The Shelter. 

“If it wasn’t for The Shelter, I don’t know where I’d be,” she said. “They kept us safe, helped me with a protection order and going to court, they helped us with housing and everything.”  

While this was the first time Glynis and her children sought support at The Shelter, it would not be the last. As is common in cases of domestic violence, Glynis returned to her abuser after three months. After years of back-and-forth, the last straw came when her husband punched her so hard her jaw broke, and he did it in front of her children. Until then, he had never hurt her in front of the children. But this time, watching her children watch her being abused, Glynis knew she had to leave to prevent her children from becoming further involved. 

When she made her clean break, she turned to The Shelter once more. Now, Glynis threw herself into The Shelter’s support groups that offered compassion, insight, and healing. She was able to begin seeing herself as someone who was worthy of being treated well, and who could care for herself and her children on her own. Today, Glynis and all four of her children are safe and thriving. 

“They are grown adults with marriages, children, and jobs,” she said. “I’m grateful. I’m so, so, so grateful.”   

Recently, Glynis had the opportunity to revisit The Shelter. When she arrived, she quickly spotted the advocate who had helped her gain that first protection order so many years ago. They immediately recognized one another and cried as they embraced. Glynis had the opportunity to tell her advocate “Thank you” and to assure her that her help had made it possible for Glynis and her children to build new, safe, and rewarding lives. 

WMFD Interview with Glynis

As we enter the season of the year marked by gratitude and generosity, we are asking you to consider giving to The Richland County Domestic Violence Shelter. Unfortunately, The Shelter is currently facing a budget shortfall of roughly $200,000. Your donation will enable us to continue providing safety, resources, and necessary support for the vulnerable survivors of violence, abuse, trauma, and trafficking right here in our community. In 2023 alone, we served 160 individuals and offered a total of 7,353 nights of shelter to survivors like Glynis and her children.