“What if this woman who was beaten by her boyfriend and put in ICU for 3 days was your mother? Well guess what? She is my mother,her name is Cathy. I watched my mother get beat on and belittled my whole childhood. Every man I saw her with after she and my father divorced when I was 3, abused her. It finally stopped when she committed suicide because her husband made her feel like she wasn’t worth enough to live in this world.”
Just three weeks before her high school graduation, Shayna Qualls had lost her mother for good this time. At just 17 years old, it had a numbing affect on her. “I spent my early adulthood just trying to find myself and trying to manage life without the love of my mother, says Shayna.
It was when domestic violence struck her family again eight years after the death of her mom – her sister Kayla was violently murdered by her former boyfriend’s father – it was then she realized it was time to take action.
“I was basically numb from losing my mother and when my sister died it brought up all the emotions I should have been feeling with the grieving process of my mom, so I basically went through my mother’s grieving process at the same time as I did with my sister, so that is what ignited such a fire inside me.”
Her story continues on the Brink of Greatness Podcast…
The Next Leap Forward
“I knew then it was time to do something,” Shayna said. “It was time to take a stand and fight back. I wasn’t going to allow domestic violence to take from my life any longer.”
“In 2014 … it started as an online ministry. I shared my mother’s story and it went viral … I had over 3 million views which brought about 20k followers from all over the world to the Facebook page. We’ve provided 100s of clients supportive listening, words of encouragement, prayed with them and given them a place to share their stories to inspire others to break free. In February of this year we received 501c3 status, so we are launching our first Campaign to help victims/survivors in Tennessee in December.”
Shayna Qualls is a Brink Thinker on a mission to help as many people as she can escape from the dangers of domestic violence.
Brink Notes:
Website: https://wingsofcourage.org/
Email Address: Shayna.qualls@wingsofcourage.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wingsofcourageministries
The Mission: DONATE to the Wings of Courage
