Left For Dead
I left my house and headed to the gym around 6am on a November Monday morning. The air was cold, but it was refreshing. I decided to jog to the gym instead of taking my car. The roads were quiet and there was nobody in sight. I had only been jogging up the road for about 10 minutes maximum, when I suddenly saw someone that I recognized step out from behind a tree to my left. To my horror, I saw it was my ex boyfriend,Liam. A chill ran down my spine. I suddenly became paralyzed with fear."Why was HE here" , I thought to myself. He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near me, because I was issued with a domestic violence protection order against him after he constantly made threats to my life, broke into my home, and persistently stalked and harassed me (and even my friends) - after I ended our relationship (I ended it because he became abusive towards me).
I didn't want to get into a conversation with him because I knew he wasn't there to just talk. I also knew he was easily angered and anything I said could provoke him into a rage. My instinct told me to turn around and run towards home or to the nearest house. As I quickly turned around to head away from him I suddenly felt him grab the back of my hair, pulling me backwards. All of a sudden, he seemed to be standing in front of me, with one hand tightly around my wrist. As I tried to pull away, his grip got tighter and tighter. I saw his clenched fist come towards my face. I tried to turn my head away and pull away from him but I just couldn't release his grip. He punched me in the face and I fell backwards on the ground onto my back. I saw him coming towards me so I tried to quickly get back up onto my feet again, but he jumped on top of me, straddling my body. I kicked, I punched, I shouted for help. I did all I could to break free but I just wasn't strong enough to get away.
I can't go into too much detail as it will be too explicit. I fought so hard to fight back and I tried my damn hardest to get away from him as he beat me over and over again. Liam didn't say a word as he punched, kicked and head-butted me. The attack was continuous. I even tried to plead with him but he wasn't listening. I became just too weak to fight back anymore. I felt excruciating pain rip right through my entire body. My body felt as though it was saturated in blood. I could actually feel my head swelling up. I started to struggle to breathe and I was slowly losing my vision. I believed my death was imminent. I must have went unconscious at that moment because I can't remember anything after that point.
Later, the police informed me that an elderly couple walking their dog had disturbed Liam, so he ran off. They saw him running away from the scene and found me lying unconscious in a pool of my own blood. They phoned an ambulance and I was taken to the nearest A&E department at a hospital (A Doctor later told me that if it hadn't been for the elderly couple finding me when they did, I would have most likely died). I can't remember much about my time in hospital. I was placed in a medically induced coma, because I had Cerebral Edema-brain swelling. I suffered from broken ribs, a broken finger, and I had a collapsed lung. I also had bleeding behind one of my eyes, and it was 50/50 chance that I would lose my sight in one eye. Liam had also knocked out one of my teeth but after my recovery, I had a dental tooth implant.
My recovery was a very very long upward battle. Some days it felt like I was taking one step forward and two steps back. Gradually, my full sight came back and I eventually made a full recovery- physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although it was a traumatic experience, I was still alive. Thanks to the kind-hearted elderly couple who came to my aid and called for help, and to the wonderful brilliantly skilled dedicated Surgeons, Doctors and Nurses who fought to save my life.
Liam was subsequently arrested and sent to prison. But just a few weeks after his release, he died in a car accident. Some say that's my Karma, but I don't view it that way. I just know that I no longer have to fear for my life anymore....at the hands of Liam. I no longer have to look over my shoulder. I couldn't fight off Liam physically but I did win the battle with my inner "demons". I have fully healed - psychologically and physically. I'm now finally in a happy place in my life. My experience has taught me that no matter what I face in life, I know I have the mental and emotional capacity and strength to fight back and rise above it. My road to recovery also helped me to fully realize the true value of my friends and family, who never once left my side.
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