My Story I was a victim of abuse but I don't like to talk about mind so I will tell you about someone who means the world to me and how she endured years of abuse and like all victims she became very good at hiding it until one night she needed to call her mom to help take a treatment for her asthma. He had crossed the line this time and slowly the family became aware of what was happening.You always knew something had happen when the next day she would be limping or her hands were numb feeling.Thoughout the years things got worse as they always do. She moved to Michigan and then was several miles away from her parents so it was up to me to make sure she would be okay when he would start well it came the call one o'clock in the morning a sound sleep she needs you with in second I was standing in her living room. She was in the bedroom because she didn't want me to see her. Then came his remark " I wish people would mind their own business", then from the bedroom she call out I call her so this is her business at that moment my hand was going into a fist and I ready to deck the sucker. I was just getting ready to call out his name when Jerry said to me no and grabbed my hand. I was prepare to go to jail that night to let Shawn know what he was doing to Michelle each time he would hit her I wanted him on the recieving end for one time. She was bruise and limping the next day and Shawn stayed clear of me I think he knew that my German temper was up and he hadn't better cross my path. Then the move back to Minnesota and things kept happening one night he had her on the floor slapping the crap out of her and she had an asthma attack and could'nt catch her breath, so Shawn slapped her across the face to get her breathing so he said. This time he call our mom and she made it back to Michelle as fast as she could, our mom had cancer and there were day that she wouldn't be able to do things because of her chemo, well this was one of those day. My mom walked in and he walked out and so then the machine had to be set up for her. After the treatment mom would ask so when you going to leave him. To which there may or may not be a reply. It was somewhere in here that I moved to Crosby and started to volunteer at the Mid-Minnesota women center and because aware of how widespread domestic violence is and that our family wasn't the only one going through this.The only thing we always said was at least she doesn't have kids with him. Then it happen got a call from mom guess who is going to have a baby I thought it was my niece no, it was Michelle my heart sank he had another hold on her, but at least the abuse stopped for a while, he had wanted Michelle to have a baby. Now she was and he ingored her for the most part because she was getting fat, and last few months she was bedridden and our mom would come back and take care of her, because he was usually on the computer,at work or the bar. When she had Jonothan after a while things went back to the way they were the pushing,slapping then he decided to move to Wymoning for work and would come home when he could, During this time she struggle to make ends meet it was his way of controlling her and trying to get her to move.Also during this time our mom lost her battle with cancer. Shawn thought that now that mom was gone that he would be able to control Michelle, It was during his absent Michelle found out that she could stand on her own two feet and a few months after mom dying Michelle came to me I printed the divorce paper off the computer she filled them out and filed them.After several months it became final he didn't even try to really fight it, the only thing he upset about was the child support he had to pay.He is still trying to control and she had told him no on several time. She has a nice guy now and is making it on her own, Time are tough but she doesn't have to worry about the abuse. She smiles and laughs more and that is a good thing to see.