H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S
Survival
Guide Domestic violence had such a hold on Kathy Suber that she contemplated suicide in her early 20s. Today, she works to end the stigma often attached to those who have endured abusive relationships. by KARI APTED I locked the bathroom door and sat down on the edge of the tub, listening to the usual quietness. For months, I’d been hoarding the prescription pills that my doctor had prescribed for the unexplainable stomach bleeding. They were on the bathroom counter in a plastic bag, mixed with pills that were either old or taken from my parents’ medicine cabinet. Next to the bag of pills laid the Smith & Wesson my daddy had given me for protection against home invasion. Funny how the threat was living inside my home, but I was thinking of using the Smith & Wesson on myself. She was only in her early 20s, but domestic violence had already broken Kathy Suber to the point of despair. She knew suicide was not the answer, but nothing else felt like an escape route, either. Leaving her pain-ridden life seemed the best way out. Even if she could swallow the shame enough to talk about what was happening, who would believe her? He was her college sweetheart; he was never violent while they were dating; and he was always so nice around everyone else.
22 The Newton
I walked around my home on eggshells because I was afraid to wake the angry giant. He would physically push me around. He would choke me. He would violate me, then hold our son in his arms, blocking the door to keep me from leaving. He told me that I was nothing. He told me that nobody would want me with a son. He told me that I could not make it without him. Unfortunately, for years, I believed every word. Like many in her generation, Suber was raised with the mindset that what happens at home, stays at home. It was not anybody’s business what happened behind closed doors. Suber now works to end that shame-fueled silence. She intends to make domestic violence education everyone’s business. Suber launched Place to Prosper in 2019 as a way to help other victims of domestic violence leave their abusive situations and enjoy healthy, independent lives. Her 501(c)(3) nonprofit currently provides an interactive podcast and a workshop to educate and empower people living in perilous situations. Suber dreams of
