PHOENIX — For the first time in Amy's life, she's in control.
"I'm a survivor," she tells 12News. "I'm a domestic violence survivor. Something I never thought I'd be. I'm free, the chains are gone."
In 2016, Amy met a man, but within two years, verbal abuse and jealousy began. It then turned physical.
"Anger, controlling what I could wear and who I could see," she described. "I would sleep in my car in the Walmart parking lot or just somewhere where I felt safe away from him."
Still, she went back.
The number of domestic violence cases is on the rise. Breaking the cycle isn't.
"The average one goes back seven times," Amy said. "I went back nine, ten, eleven times."
However, last December, on Christmas Eve, her fear turned to strength, and she left to get help.
"He'd been spitting on me, shoving me into walls," she said. "I knew he was going to kill me. Something inside me said you need to get out now. So I called two of my friends, they came and got me, and I slept on their couch for Christmas. I knew I was free, and I knew I was never going to go back. I have two little boys, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old, knowing they don't have to see his hands around my neck, they don't have to see that ever again."
"Know you're worth it, and you need help," said LaShunda Jones.
Jones works with the Phoenix Rescue Mission. She said fear and shame could keep someone in a domestic violence situation from leaving their abuser.
"It takes courage to admit to someone that, hey, this is my situation," said Jones.
Phoenix Rescue Mission currently serves those who are homeless, going through substance abuse, domestic violence, and some women who came from sexual trafficking. The facility currently has 93 women and 30 children and sees more women who've found themselves in a domestic violence-type situation.
"I think women are empowering women now," she said. "There's no shame, women are talking to women saying this happened to me too. Know you're worth it, and you need help."
It's a challenge for someone to break the cycle of abuse, but she said those who do come out on the other side strong and full of life. She knows there are more men and women out there who may need help, and she wants to help them.
"You deserve it, you deserve to be better," she said.
That's something Amy now realizes, and said she's celebrating her second shot at life.
"I would describe myself as growing," she said. "I'm stronger than I've been in years; I'm the happiest I've been in years. My message is to get out," she said. "Get out. It's easier said than done. I know that. But get out, call the hotline, and call Phoenix Rescue Mission. There is freedom on the other side of it."
If you need help, you can go to the Phoenix Rescue Mission, you can also call them at 833-467-3749. You can also dial 211.
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