Cries Unheard: When Love Hurts and Kills

602 Words2 Pages

On April 22, 2008, Anita passed after sustaining injuries she received from a domestic violence altercation. Despite the many trials in her life, she led a happy life and could always find humor in any situation. Always willing to lend a helping hand, one might consider her a natural caregiver. Happy, comedic, and a bit eccentric are words used to describe Anita. Her family would never could have imagined she would meet her tragic demise at such a young age. Oblivious to the abuse in their short and tumultuous relationship, no one was aware of her situation. She sustained injuries from a blunt force trauma during a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. Suffering from a horrific headache after the assault, her mother took her to the local hospital. The family received the disturbing call that would change the entire family dynamic. Anita was hospitalized due to injuries sustained from her boyfriend. She had reported the assault to the hospital employees, and then slipped into a coma (Desert Dispatch). Flown to a better equipped facility, neurological surgeons performed surgery in an attempt to salvage her life. The members of her family arrived at the facility not knowing what to expect. Life support machines breathing life into her, the family was distraught. The neurologist asked her sister’s to meet with him in the conference room. They knew what he would say, and devastation overtook them. Declining brain activity from one day to the next, the doctor stated that if she survived, she would awake into a vegetative state and require institutionalization. Anita’s family made a unanimous decision and did not want her to live without any quality of life. Immediately, family and friends showed up later and with heartach...

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...ally assist battered women. Women who are considering leaving an abusive partner should contact local authorities or victim service agencies for information for help and resources available to you. Make a plan to ensure the safety of yourself and your children. Restraining orders can be ordered by a judge to ensure that you will no longer be contacted, threatened or injured by your abusive mate. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse call 1-800-799-SAFE for help.

Works Cited

Garcia, Venessa, and Patrick M. McManimon. Gendered Justice: Intimate Partner Violence and the Criminal Justice System. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. 2011. Print.

Neill, Neill. "Domestic Abuse and Violence Awareness." 17 Nov. 2005. webcrawler. 24 November 2013.

Sewell, Abby. "Domestic Violence Killing Charge Dropped to Manslaughter." Desert Dispatch.08 October 2008. Print.

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