Melissa Holmes And Domestic Violence

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As a passionate defender of Domestic Violence, Melissa Holmes understands what it means to be a survivor. Being strong, she’s cheated death twice, as a victim of domestic abuse, before using her personal tragedies as a muse to inspire others. After falling deeply in love, Holmes married her first husband in 1998 with the same hopes and dreams every bride has on her wedding day. Her dreams of happiness soon turned dark, as her new husband began to abuse her both verbally and emotionally. The violence accelerates, as it so often does, and soon he was abusing her physically as well. After four years of suffering the abuse, her faith gave her the courage to leave him, taking her young son with her. In 2009, she met and married her second husband …show more content…

Instead, she’s turned her personal triumph as a domestic abuse survivor into a platform to help other victims. She would provide women with a place where they could talk freely about their experiences. The members would all be women who understood what domestic abuse is like, and why it can be so difficult for women to leave. Besides, she says, “I wanted to educate about domestic violence in our community since it is so misunderstood. Usually, people don 't know the warning signs of [domestic violence]. After deciding to leave your abuser some people don 't understand how to move forward in a healthy environment or relationship, because they don 't understand what normal is anymore.” In October 2016, Melissa Holmes released her first book, titled ‘Love Shouldn’t Hurt’, about her journey to escape domestic violence. Love Shouldn’t Hurt is also the name of a domestic violence support group she started over four years ago. The secret group originally started out on Facebook with 30 members, but currently has over 1,000 worldwide. Holmes through her organization, LSH has worked relentlessly to give women the information and assistance they need. The group also plans to educate people about the realities of domestic violence, and to stop the victim-blaming that occasionally occurs. The women in the group, who are all survivors, work together to provide new members with the motivation and ability to save their own lives and escape violent relationships. Finding

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