10/02/2026
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
For a long time, I thought staying quiet was the way I protected someone else. Looking back, I realize my silence was protecting the person who was hurting me—not me.
I survived something I once thought I would never be able to talk about.
And even though it happened years ago, healing doesn't have an expiration date. Some things stay with you. You learn, you grow, you heal, and sometimes you still have hard days.
But I choose to talk about it.
Not because I want sympathy. Not because I want to relive it. I talk about it because there may be someone sitting quietly right now, thinking they're the only one.
Maybe someone needs to hear that what they're experiencing matters.
Maybe they need permission to put themselves first.
Maybe they need to know that surviving doesn't mean you have to stay silent forever.
That's also a big part of why CPR means so much to me.
I teach people how to respond when someone's life is on the line. How to recognize an emergency. How to act. How to not freeze when someone needs help.
And I've learned that sometimes saving a life starts before you ever put your hands on a chest.
Sometimes it starts with noticing.
Sometimes it starts with listening.
Sometimes it starts with saying, “Are you okay?”
If you're a survivor, you don't owe anyone your story. Share when you're ready. Stay quiet when you need to. But please know this: you are not alone, and choosing yourself is not selfish.
I found my voice.
And I'm going to keep using it. ❤️
