Relationships involve making a commitment to someone that we love.
We choose to share our lives with them and we trust them with our hearts. That is why when we suffer abuse in a relationship we feel so betrayed.
Someone that we trust so much should not hurt us.
But unfortunately, it does happen. For Katie Piper, her abuse happened about 10 years ago. It was a traumatic experience in the hands of a man who said he loved her. She was emotionally, physically, and sexually abused by that man who is now her ex. She has endured the pain and suffering that would crush many souls.
But Katie overcame the traumatic experience and is now living a full life.
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Katie has decided to make one of her life missions to help those who have been through what she went through a decade ago. Her life is evidence that is can be done. She is indeed living a wonderful life as a mother and a wife. She understands the horror of abuse in relationships and she wants to offer counsel to those who have been in that boat. She knows how abuse can destroy a person’s life if it is not dealt with in the right way. She wants to become a voice of hope to victims of abuse.
Many years ago, Piper had been working as a model and TV presenter. She was dating a man named David Lynch. It was just two weeks into their relationship that he turned into a monster. They were in a hotel when he turned violent on her and abused her physically and emotionally then he raped her. It was 2008, a year Katie will never forget.
As if that was not enough he later forced her to go to an Internet cafe where he had hired someone to attack her. David had planned a vicious attack on top of what he had already done to her. The person threw acid at her face as soon as she walked in. The effect: burns to her face and blindness in her left eye.
She experienced so much pain and she knew her face might be permanently disfigured.
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The Sun has reported that she spent two months in hospital as she underwent up to 40 surgeries. At one time, she was to put on a plastic mask for 24 hours a day. The doctors worked hard to ensure she would get better. It was such a distressing time for Katie as she recovered at the hospital.
Katie decided not to let these events determine the fate of her future. She took charge and decided to use the opportunity to make a real difference. She made up her mind that she would accomplish great things.
One year later, she founded the Katie Piper Foundation which helps burn victims get services they need including hair restoration, medical tattooing, makeup and camouflage, peer support and scary advice. Some victims cannot afford these by themselves and that is when her foundation steps in to help.
On top of that, Katie produced an award winning documentary about her life’s story.point 185 | She has become a frequently featured guest on TV programs in the UK, most notably ‘This Morning’ and ‘Loose Women’.point 289 |
She has also presented the shows ‘Bodyshockers’ and ‘Never Seen a Doctor’.point 71 | She did not stop there.point 90 | She launched her own show known as ‘Face to Face’ which gives people with skin conditions a voice.point 175 | She interviews them on this show.point 203 |
To wrap it all up, she started a family.point 32 | She is married to builder Richard Sutton and they are blessed with a daughter named Belle.point 107 | She got married in 2016, eight years after her attack.point 152 | 1
She told mirror that she felt so lucky to have met her husband. To her, he is a gift from God. He has been amazing to her and helped change her life for the better. She is thankful for their daughter who is one of the best things to ever happen to her.
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She has admitted that her journey to recovery was not a walk in the park.point 59 | In the beginning, she put up walls around her.point 97 | She was conscious of how she looked and she felt unattractive.point 149 | She didn’t know how she could get back to work.point 189 | She was so insecure.point 206 |
When she met her husband, she didn’t imagine that he would fancy her.point 59 | She was sure it was going to go wrong and that he would not like her.point 113 | She wondered if she should even bother.point 146 | But she asked herself what was there to lose.point 183 | She is glad that she went for it because there was a happy ending to it.point 240 |
She has learned that confidence and happiness are life choices.point 54 | She knows it is not luck.point 74 | She knows that she has come so far by being intentional in her efforts to make a difference.point 149 | 1
Katie is such an encouragement to victims of abuse. She has shown that with determination, they can go on with their lives and accomplish all their dreams. They don’t have to let the abuse determine the outcome of their lives.