Danica’s DV Survivor Story
June 5th, 2025
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
Danica’s* concept of family had changed. Her one-year-old son and her handsome orange tabby cat, Zeke*, would always be family to her, but she could no longer trust her father. He had become cruel and mentally, psychologically, and financially abusive to all three of them. Not only did he take every dollar of her income, but he would sometimes lock her and her son outside in below-freezing temperatures. Her relief when she was able to leave with her son was immense.
But her family was incomplete. Zeke had to stay behind at first, with the man who had been abusing them. Now that Danica was no longer under his control, he was still threatening to hurt her cat or abandon him outside. She had to come back for him somehow soon, even if it meant letting someone else take him, or surrendering him to the shelter. She would make that sacrifice if she could be certain her father wouldn’t harm him. She was devastated that she couldn’t protect him when he felt like another son to her.
The staff at the domestic violence shelter tried to reassure Danica that Zeke would soon be protected. With a RedRover Relief Safe Escape grant, they could rescue Zeke from her father’s house and take him somewhere safe to be boarded until she and her son were ready to leave the shelter. In a matter of hours, she had gone from believing she may never see him again to envisioning a safe future with her two boys.
Knowing Zeke was protected with a Safe Escape grant brought Danica peace she hadn’t felt in years. She would be able to save the money she earned, and her true family would finally have a safe future. That’s the lifesaving difference your support makes possible.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
P.S. Please consider making a Safe Escape possible for every survivor with a generous gift today.
