HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence joined Susan Bysiewicz, the state's lieutenant governor, to recognize domestic violence awareness this month.
Advocates say it is a preventable public health crisis that impacts more than 10 million people in the U.S. every year.
For Adanna Springer, she is one of the lucky ones. She got out of a violent relationship before it was too late.
“I spent about five years with my abuser soon to be ex-husband, and I remember feeling hopeless,” Springer, a domestic violence survivor, said. “I remember feeling broken. I remember feeling like I didn't have value anymore. After a broken toe, a fractured face... You kind of feel like my life is done here.”
But her life wasn’t over, it was just beginning, and she recalls the exact moment she discovered her strength.
“I remembered saying, 'This time, if you hit me this time, I’m done,' and he shoved me into the bed, he put his hands on my mouth and my nose and tried to block me from breathing and told me, 'You're not going to scream because I’m not going to jail,' and I don't know how, I just [credit] God coming in the room, how a little me pushed a big him off,” Springer said. “I opened up the door and started screaming and I said, 'You, you're going to leave right now.'"
Now, Springer wants her story to instill hope in those who might feel trapped.
“I want you to know you're not alone, you're valuable, you're priceless,” she said. “You don't deserve abuse. Love doesn't hurt. I want you to reach out for help.”
In the Nutmeg State, support and resources are available through Connecticut’s Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a group that serves nearly 40,000 victims each year. But Bysiewicz recognizes that the scope of suffering extends far beyond that.
“Domestic violence is something that affects one in four women,” Bysiewicz said at a press conference Tuesday. “It is a public health crisis and it affects more women in the United States than diabetes and breast cancer together.”
Every minute in the U.S., about 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
And too often those attacks turn deadly.
Here in Connecticut, 19 people have died at the hands of an intimate partner within the last year, according to Bysiewicz. That’s up from 14 the year before.
So, the message during this month is: watch out for signs of struggle and possibly, even save a life
“Survivors can have a life after it doesn't end with abuse," Springer said. “There is hope.”
For the National Domestic Violence hotline, call 1-800-799-7233
And for the local CT Safe Connect hotline, call 1-888-774-2900.
RELATED: 6-year-old dies from injuries after 'brutal' domestic violence assault in Bridgeport: Police
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Bridgette Bjorlo is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at bbjorlo@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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