“One of the earliest memories I have with my mother was leaving our home one dark and rainy night. I remember staring down at my sister's bare feet wondering why we were leaving with such urgency. We walked five houses down to a neighbor's house to use the phone. I didn't realize that my mother was phoning for help or that my father was hurting her physically.” – Excerpt from letter written by my daughter.

My story is about triumph and victory over extremely painful and debilitating domestic violence; physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. I divorced my ex-husband in 1988 after 11 years of abuse. After the divorce, I focused on raising my daughters, alone, with no child support or family support. It took three jobs to make ends meet.

My daughters are now grown, 27 and 28 years old. I am the grandmother of three beautiful grandchildren. Despite the challenges, I am determined to succeed and reach my goals and dreams. One of my goals was to earn a Master’s degree which I completed in 2005. Furthermore, I am seeking a program, and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in the area of Leadership and Change.

Besides education, I have always had a passion for motorcycles. My father raised my sister and me with a love and respect for motorcycles! He was an avid and skilled rider. At 50 years of age, I took the MSF course, received my license and “hit the road.” I have never looked back. My current bike is a Honda Shadow 600. My dream bike, however, is a Harley!

In addition to my most recent challenge as caregiver for my 27-year old daughter living 4 years with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Dementia, I am developing a business plan for a corporation that will be female owned and operated. In my role as CEO, supported by my daughters in executive leadership roles, our mission is to help other women survive and triumph over abuse through economic empowerment.

Life is not always easy or fair; however, we must be strong, positive, and gather support from family and friends. We must be determined to keep on keeping on! It has been my deep faith in God which has kept me strong throughout my life.

Lastly, as with all of us, I have faced many challenges in my life, some very painful, however, my faith, courage, confidence, sense of humor, family and friends, have kept me going.