“At that moment, I knew I was going to die.”

For Sheila, the realization came not during the attack that nearly killed her, but the day before.

Years later, Sheila shared that memory publicly before more than 200 people gathered Oct. 15 at Penn State Lehigh Valley in Center Valley for Turning Point of Lehigh Valley’s Evening of Unity survivor vigil. Her testimony was one of four survivor presentations featured during the annual event, held as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The nationwide observance is dedicated to raising awareness about domestic abuse, supporting survivors and encouraging communities to take action. The annual vigil also honored six people from Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties who died because of domestic violence during the past year.

Throughout the evening, survivors recounted experiences that ranged from intimidation and financial abuse to strangulation and attempted murder. Audience members frequently wiped away tears as speakers described years spent navigating fear, isolation and the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.

Before the survivor presentations began, Turning Point Executive Director Lori Sywensky urged attendees to rethink common misconceptions surrounding domestic violence.

“Too often, she said, the public views abuse through isolated incidents reported in the news rather than seeing the broader pattern of power and control behind them. Terms such as domestic dispute or domestic disturbance can minimize years of intimidation, manipulation, isolation and coercive control,” Sywensky said. “It’s a person who believes that they need to monitor and belittle and isolate someone. Physical violence is often used as a threat to keep that person under control.”

Sywensky described domestic violence as an epidemic affecting families and communities throughout the region. Children witness abuse. Families are fractured. Employers lose workers. Schools support students affected by trauma. Hospitals treat injuries. Courts handle protection-from-abuse orders and criminal cases.

Last year, Turning Point served more than 3,700 people throughout Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. Founded in 1976, the organization provides a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, counseling, children’s services, legal advocacy, prevention education, housing assistance and other resources for survivors of domestic violence.

The organization also operates emergency safe housing for survivors fleeing dangerous situations and helps clients secure longer-term housing, employment, transportation and financial resources. For many survivors, advocates become guides through legal, housing and social-service systems that can seem overwhelming in the aftermath of abuse.

Turning Point will mark its 50th anniversary in 2026, and the stories shared during the vigil demonstrated why those services remain necessary.

Jacque focused much of her testimony on opportunities she believes were missed as abuse escalated. She recalled seeking treatment in an emergency room after suffering a serious eye injury. A nurse began screening her for abuse.

Before she could answer, her partner interrupted. “He stated, ‘I like a woman that can take a punch,’” Jacque recalled.

People nearby laughed. The questioning stopped.

Years later, Jacque still thinks about that moment. “I wonder what it would have been like for me had anyone in that emergency bay asked me how I was,” she said

Jacque described a relationship that included intimidation, strangulation and threats involving firearms. Even after the relationship ended, she said, the abuse continued through harassment and continual legal proceedings.

“Abuse does not stop with the relationship,” she said.

The effects extended into nearly every area of her life, including her finances, employment and emotional well-being. Today, she uses her experience to educate others about economic abuse and financial empowerment. She also speaks with nurses and medical residents about recognizing signs of domestic violence and responding appropriately.

Another survivor, Laura, shared her experience through a poem titled “No Longer Silent.” Rather than focusing on the abuse itself, she reflected on how her life had changed since leaving and rebuilding. Her poem described finding her voice, rediscovering confidence and embracing a future she once struggled to imagine.

One line compared her recovery to flowers emerging and blooming after hardship. “Flowers grow, just like me, “she read.

Sheila’s story centered on a near-fatal assault after years of abuse.

Over time, she said, she often felt dismissed or blamed when seeking help. One incident involved the use of a Taser, but because there were no visible marks, she felt authorities failed to recognize the danger she faced.

She also spoke about feeling at a disadvantage while seeking help, describing herself as a Hispanic woman trying to be believed over an abuser she characterized as white, articulate, educated and well-spoken.

The day after she concluded she might not survive the relationship, an argument over a phone charger escalated into violence.

Sheila said she was forced through a window while attempting to leave. Her abuser dragged her back inside and began choking her from behind.

As her vision faded, she thought about her daughter.

“I did not want my daughter to find out that I died like this,” she recounted, her voice breaking with emotion.

Eventually she lost consciousness. When she awoke, her dog was licking her face. She escaped moments later and found the same officer who had responded the previous day outside.

“I threw myself to him and said, ‘Please help me,’” Sheila recalled.

The assault left her physically injured and emotionally devastated. After being abruptly discharged from the hospital, she found herself without her phone, keys or shoes.

“My body was in so much pain,” she said. “But at the same time, I felt nothing.”

Even then, she questioned whether pursuing legal protection would accomplish anything.

Her perspective changed after she connected with Turning Point advocates, who accompanied her through protection-from-abuse proceedings and other court hearings.

“For the first time, I felt believed,” she said.

For Sheila, recovery came gradually. She attended counseling, obtained her driver’s license, purchased her first vehicle and maintained steady employment. Today, she supervises employees at work, remains active in recovery and speaks publicly about domestic violence.

“A big part of who I am is who I’m not anymore,” she said.

For Darrah, the abuse began in a relationship that initially felt loving and supportive.

After the end of a 22-year marriage, she met a man through Facebook Dating in 2021.

“He made me feel like a princess,” Darrah remembered.

The relationship moved quickly. Looking back, she now recognizes many of his actions as love bombing, a tactic in which excessive affection and attention create emotional dependence. But she didn’t recognize that then.

“At the time, I thought I found my soulmate, “ she said.

Arguments gradually became more frequent. Verbal attacks were followed by apologies. Her partner denied statements she remembered hearing, leaving her questioning herself.

“I started to feel like I was crazy,” she said.

To reassure herself that events were unfolding as she remembered, she began documenting conversations and incidents.

The behavior worsened after the couple married in 2022. Darrah described repeated verbal abuse, intimidation, property destruction and the withholding of medication. Despite those incidents, she stayed.

“What I didn’t understand was that I was developing one of the strongest bonds I could ever experience, which is called a trauma bond,” she said.

The breaking point came Christmas Eve 2024. During an argument, her husband wrapped his hands around her throat and strangled her.

I will never forget the dead look in his eyes staring back at me, she said.

She escaped and drove directly to a police station seeking a protection-from-abuse order. Leaving permanently, however, proved more difficult.

She described feeling trapped by finances, housing concerns, isolation and a determination not to abandon her pets, a cat, a dog and four birds.

Many evenings after work ended the same way. She sat alone in her vehicle in a Wawa parking lot wondering what to do next.

“I had no friends and no family to stay with,” she said. “All I had were my faith and my pets.”

In July 2025, she called Turning Point.

After listening to her story, an advocate named Tori asked a simple question.

Can you leave tomorrow?

Darrah said yes.

The next day, she packed everything she could fit in her vehicle, including her cat and dog, and left.

“As I drove to Turning Point, tears streamed down my face,” she said. “For once, I was finally free.”

Through Turning Point’s Safe House and Rapid Rehousing programs, Darrah secured housing, continued counseling and rebuilt financial stability. She has since finalized her divorce and established an independent life.

As the evening concluded, attendees sat quietly holding battery-operated candles as six names were read aloud, representing people from Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties who lost their lives to domestic violence during the past year.

The vigil served as both a memorial and a call to action. As Turning Point prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, Sywensky said the organization’s ultimate goal is not to remain necessary forever.

Preventing domestic violence, she said, requires community members to recognize warning signs, support survivors and refuse to ignore abuse when they see it.

“You are the community,” Sywensky told those gathered, “who will help ensure we don’t need to be here 50 years from now.”