If you are being abused, Call for Help Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Also visit: http://www.acadv.org/about.htmlDomestic Violence PresentationFeaturing Carolyn Thomas If you are being abused, Call for Help Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence P.O. Box 4762, Montgomery, AL 36101 Phone: (334)832-4842 Fax: 334-832-4803 email:info@acadv.org

Carolyn Thomas, a 34-year-old former track star was shot in the face by an abusive ex-boyfriend who also killed her mother. She wears a mask-like bandage to protect her from infection and the stares of those who are unknowing of her experiences.

This is an undated photo of Carolyn Thomas before her face was destroyed in a shooting.

Carolyn Thomas must feed herself four times a day using a tube attached to her stomach.

With Stan and Jan to keep her company, Carolyn must constantly remind herself to stay upbeat. "I'm alive for a reason. I don't question God," she says.

Passing an unidentified shopper at Wal-Mart, Carolyn Thomas heads down the aisles quickly to avoid the stares of those who are unfamiliar with the tragedy of her past.

Adjusting her trachea tube, Carolyn Thomas cleans it constantly in order to breathe comfortably and to talk.

This photo shows Janice Reeves, Carolyn Thomas' mother, who was shot dead by her daughter's boyfriend in 2003.

Carolyn Thomas reacts as prosecutor Crawford Long displays a .44 Magnum for her to identify during the trial of Terrence Kelly in Waco in April 2005. Terrence used the gun to shoot Thomas in the face.

Terrence Kelly leaves court April 15, 2005, in Waco. He was convicted of shooting Carolyn Thomas in the face and killing her mother in 2003. He is serving a life sentence.

THE SURGICAL PROCESS (VERY GRAPHIC)

With half her face shot off, it will take several surgeries to reconstruct her facial skull.

Besides the jaw, tissue, and bone, Carolyn lost an eye, nose, and upper lip.

The first of several surgeries; the goal was to make sure Carolyn could breathe while preventing infection.

Next the eye socket was repaired allowing for a removable socket to be used.

After having several skins grafts, where skin was removed from her back and legs, the jaw line was built and closed. An upper lip was also constructed.

During this process, a plaster mold is made of her face to build her a nose.

The area of the nose is built with a synthetic so as not to cause chaffing, making it easier for Carolyn to breathe.

Each day, she will have to glue the piece to her face to apply the synthetic nose.

Doctors constructed several noses attempting to match it to the original nose. Carolyn chose the one she felt closely resembled her original nose.

Life Begins Anew!

She is the face of domestic violence. She travels the country sharing her story, teaching women, warning women, empowering women.

Prevalence of Domestic Violence • Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year1 to three million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year. • Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. • Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives • Nearly 25 percent of American women report being raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some time in their lifetime • Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year. • Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. • Women accounted for 85 % of the intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for 15 % of the victims • While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner.

If you are being abused, Call for Help Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence