From left, Holly Hanna, a victim’s advocate with the Columbiana County Prosecutor’s Office, Lisbon Mayor Peter Wilson and Leetonia resident Sally Kirkland hold the sign to lead the Take Back the Night Walk for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Lisbon Thursday night. Kirkland walked in memory of her daughter, Jan, and granddaughter, Hannah, who were murdered in 2019 in Florida. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — A three-time survivor who beat breast cancer, escaped an abusive boyfriend and left an emotionally blackmailing husband after years of psychological abuse shared her story Thursday.

“It’s amazing how things work out when you don’t think they’re going to,” Jackie said.

A victim-turned-survivor who preferred not to reveal her last name, Jackie talked about her experiences and how her life has turned around during the Take Back the Night Walk and Christina House Domestic Violence Awareness Program in Lisbon.

The Christina House is a program of Catholic Charities Regional Agency, with program personnel hosting the awareness and remembrance event as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.

Christina House Program Manager Debbie Chaffin shared some of the statistics for the program, which is celebrating 27 years of helping victims with safe shelter, counseling, case management, safety planning, legal advocacy to obtain protection orders, education and outreach.

Through September this year, the Christina House sheltered 45 women and children, with 1,619 crisis calls and referrals. Legal advocate Elaine Kloss has seen 442 people and obtained 193 protection orders. The program has reached out to more than 1,676 people throughout the county at various schools and outreach events.

Last month, Chaffin said a text-only crisis line was launched at 234-335-7908 which people seeking help or information can text 24 hours a day and receive a reply from a trained advocate. People can also call 330-420-0036 to talk to someone.

She said this month’s theme is Heal, Hold, Center — healing and embracing the different ways cultures heal from violence, hold space for survivors by deeply listening, practicing unconditional and non-judgmental support, center the most disempowering and those with the highest burden of violence.

The color purple used for domestic violence awareness signifies the pain and suffering of domestic violence, but also serves as a symbol of hope.

She asked those in attendance to remember that this month is a time to mourn those who have died because of domestic violence and a time to celebrate the survivors along with a time to thank those who work to end the violence.

Leetonia resident Sally Kirkland attended the event and walked in memory of her daughter, Jan, and granddaughter, Hannah, who were both murdered in 2019 in Florida. Jan, 47, was a nurse who graduated from Leetonia High School and was involved in 4-H as a youngster. She and her daughter, 20-year-old Hannah Bonta, were killed Aug. 24, 2019 in their Florida home. Kirkland keeps their memories alive and said the case against their accused killer, Jan’s boyfriend, remains pending.

Jackie explained how she was a very shy person when she was younger and had her first experience with domestic violence with her first serious boyfriend, the father of her son, who when she tried to run away, dragged her back by her hair. She ended up leaving and joining the U.S. Army, then eventually met the man who would become her husband. They were doing well for a long time, then she said he decided to do drugs and became very nasty and degrading. She endured emotional abuse. Her friends wouldn’t come around.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she said he never hugged her and gave her no support. She suffered from cellulitis and when she asked him to take her to the hospital, he refused, saying he had better things to do. When she returned, he told her he had a girlfriend and if she wanted to keep the life she had, the house, the insurance, she would let him do what he wanted.

She figured out who the girlfriend was and confronted her and when he found out, she said he was livid. She left for a retreat and when she returned, he and the girlfriend were there and he was waving a gun around and end up pointing the gun at her. That was it. She called the police.

She started divorce proceedings the next day, secured a protection order and then he went and got himself fired, ending her insurance without telling her. She lost her house, her husband, her insurance and then she got to work, going through trauma counseling. Now she has a full-time job and her own house. She said she got past it and she’s better than she was.

“I love my front porch. I sit out there and think how lucky I am now,” Jackie said, crediting the help of friends and people like Elaine Kloss. “If I can help anybody, I will.”

Chaffin introduced her staff, including Nickie Ostick who handles community outreach and education and read the proclamation from Columbiana County commissioners, case manager Jeannie Sensenbaugher, Elaine, Catholic Charities program director Susan Burnett and volunteer Lisa Wycoff.

“I thank the Christina House staff for all the work they do to provide safety, security and stability to those traumatized by domestic violence,” state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel said.

Blasdel visited with everyone and said this is a very meaningful program, adding that it’s heartwarming to see people can survive because of help they received from the Christina House.

“Domestic violence is often referred to as a hidden epidemic. Many victims suffer in silence,” she said.

Blasdel said she’s very proud of the state legislature’s prioritization of anti-domestic violence legislation, noting that the state budget provided dollars to help aid programs that help domestic violence survivors. She’s a joint sponsor of House Bill 289 which closed a loophole in the law related to the sexual offender data base and a co-sponsor of House Bill 161, which has been signed into law to eliminate spousal exceptions for certain sex offenses.