The only way for me to escape was earning my nursing degree, something I had dreamed of since childhood. As I pursued my degree and raised two young children, my abusive husband shot at me with a sawed-off shotgun, broke my bones, and destroyed any self-confidence I might have possessed. But every exam I passed, every clinical hour I completed, every hour I went without sleep, and countless other sacrifices brought me closer to a healthy life, free from pain and fear.

Leaving the abuser was only the beginning of my survival process. Getting reacclimated into society, gaining the ability to make independent decisions, and building my sense of self-worth and self-awareness required decades of therapy, numerous self-help books, and new friends to pull me through.  

The eventual decision to divorce my family and my adultsons, who had become abusers themselves, was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, but it was essential for my peace and well-being.

The nursing career that saved my life now spans four decades, including working as a trauma travel nurse andowning a pharmaceutical home infusion company. I’m now an aesthetic trainer, and over the last eighteen years, I’vetraveled the US, training approximately four thousand medical providers, both physicians and mid-levels, in the most effective and safest techniques for aesthetic injections.

In addition to my nursing career, my mission is helpingindividuals escape domestic violence and helping those who have already escaped find the joy and peace they deserve. For almost two years now, with the help of an extraordinary editor, I have been writing about mychallenges and accomplishments in my forthcomingmemoir, Not One More Day. By sharing my own story of survival, I hope to inspire others to break the silence about abuse––and give those who are being abused the hope and courage to get out. No one should live in fear, and I’m proof that a life without fear is possible.  

I’ve been very fortunate to build a new life in Georgia with wonderful friends who have shown me that I don’t need to share the same blood to become family. To learn more about me or schedule a speaking engagement, please visit candicemorrowauthor.com.