True Life Memoir
From Domestic Violence Victim to Survivor to Advocate
When hopelessness seems to be the only option, how do you find the strength to persevere through unimageable circumstances?
When the possibility of death looms in every corner of your mind, how can you emerge more resilient than before?
What if you are mercilessly abused nearly to death by the very individual who has sworn to love you until “death do us part?”
What do you do when you feel the darkness around you as if it is consuming you and inescapable?
Unintentional Hero answers these questions in an extraordinary story of strength, faith, and resilience. After years of surviving in the shadows, bound by the chains of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, an oppressed woman found the courage not only to escape her oppressor, but also the courage to build a life focused on helping those like her. While this book explores one particular woman’s harrowing journey, its message runs through the veins of every person who has been, or continues to be, a survivor of domestic violence.
From the foreword notes, Rania explains “You are about to read about a time of my life, the circumstances of which are exceedingly difficult for most people to comprehend. At times, they’re difficult for me to understand, and I lived through them. If you are, or have been, a victim of domestic violence, you already understand all too well. I offer you my unending support and hope for the life you deserve. If you are not (or have never been) a victim, as you read my story, you may wonder why I didn’t “just” leave. People ask this question of victims all the time. And the answer is complex and dark, just as the abuse itself. The reason is it is based on a victim’s state of mind — a state of mind that is as bloody and bruised as any visible injuries. There is no simple comparison to a healthy, clear mindset with the capacity to make rational decisions.
Abuse, in any form, is anything but rational. Victims are often brainwashed to believe that there are no options or ways out. And, even if we allowed ourselves the freedom of thought to realize there may be, we live in constant fear and under constant threats of what will happen if we try to leave. We know, better than anyone, what our abusers are capable of.
Unintentional Hero is about finding light after years of being shrouded in darkness. Yet, as with all journeys, a survivor’s path is not easy. A survivor of domestic violence must emerge from a seemingly bottomless abyss and search the very depths of their soul to begin the healing process and regain a sense of self. But like all survivor stories, there are heroes along the way who help navigate bumpy roads fraught with obstacles. Unintentional Hero explores the obstacles survivors face. Visible obstacles can heal quickly and easily with time, but it is the invisible roadblocks that stubbornly bury themselves in a survivor’s mind that can wreak havoc for years.
But sometimes, a person will cross our path in our darkest hour and chip away at the roadblock, eroding it until we can once again walk our path. That person is one of the remarkable people who doesn’t necessarily intend to make an impact, yet often makes the biggest one. Unintentional Hero helps survivors of domestic violence understand that even when all feels lost, a hero may be just around the corner, if only they have the courage to look. Above all, this book offers love and support.
Unintentional Hero embodies what the human spirit is capable of when we possess the will not only to change our circumstances, but to acknowledge the efforts of the unintentional heroes who may have helped save our lives.
“This book is dedicated to victims of domestic abuse. May your bruises heal, your scars fade, and your minds clear. May the darkness fade into shadows and the shadows disappear into light. May you find the life that you deserve
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