This Could Have Been Me: Johanna Orozco

Johanna Orozco is a young woman who was raped and then shot in the face by a former abusive boyfriend.

She is 18-years-old.

She survived being shot but the lower half of her face is destroyed. The Plain Dealer has been doing a series of stories about this young woman and what happened to her, including the first of her many surgeries and the trial of the attacker. I have been following these stories with much interest because as you may know, I was in an abusive relationship when I was Johanna's age. I was threatened with being shot, stabbed, buried alive, hung, axed, and more.

This could have happened to me. This could have been me.

You can read Johanna's story on the Plain Dealer website here:
http://www.cleveland.com/johanna


I feel I should warn you, it includes some graphic photos of her face, surgery, and recovery. But there are some wonderful photos that show how this incredible young lady has not let this destroy her. I was as proud of her graduating high school this past June as I was of my own daughter. And if you ever feel jaded and cynical about today's teens, view the pics of her prom. Her classmates visited her in the hospital, helped her stay caught up on school work, encouraged her to go to prom and elected her prom queen!

Her story will inspire you...if you are involved in a relationship like this, I hope it inspires you to get help and to LEAVE. Especially if your relationship is not at the level of rape and extreme physical violence. It never gets any better, it only gets worse so if you are being 'just a little' abused, get out now. If you are not being abused or have left an abusive situation, I hope her story inspires you to appreciate your life and all that you have. This girl is moving forward with grace, dignity, and happiness. So can you.

Subscribe to Beyond Battered by Email

It's Like Being In a Cult

It is hard for me to understand how/why I was in this sort of relationship. But when I was in it, I had a totally different spin on things. I can't describe it other to say that it is like being brainwashed or hypnotized or something, like being in a cult, but if you've never had the misfortune of being in that sort of situation you still wouldn't know what it feels like or understand it. Depending on your age you may remember the Jonestown tragedy, and like most you probably wonder how so many people were coerced into murdering children and then killing themselves. When they first gave up control of themselves and their lives to the cult leader they began the process that ended with their deaths.

Being with an abusive person is just like that. They don't start out trying to kill you or kicking you down the stairs or spitting in your face...it's a mind-control process that starts like a snowball rolling down hill, starting with just a little and then picking up more and more steam until you look up and you're smashed by an avalanche.

I guess that's all I have to say about it right now. I do wish that more women felt empowered enough to take control of the situation...but when you're in it you feel like such a victim, so powerless.

Subscribe to Beyond Battered by Email