MANSFIELD — Brittany Ludwig, 31, was in an abusive relationship for nine months, enduring what she described “absolute hell.”
The Mansfield woman said her abuser would drive 130 miles per hour on the freeway to frighten her, and once attempted to kill both her and her mother by swerving into a semi.
Ludwig said she was strangled and struck in the face multiple times; during one of the attacks he knocked out her two front teeth. There were other times that he threw knives at her and she had to duck out of the way, she said.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- About 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported some form of IPV (intimate partner violence)-related impact.
- Over 43 million women and 38 million men experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Before they began dating, Ludwig thought he seemed like an amazing person, “but he knows how to make himself look good,” she said.
It wasn’t until about a couple weeks into their relationship that he “started showing his true side,” she said.
“He was a severe alcoholic and me being the way that I am I wanted to try to help him, and I did everything that I could to help, and that was my downfall,” she said.
His alcoholism was so severe, she said, that he would blackout, forgetting about the abuse that took place the night before.
“It was like he was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” she said. “As sweet as he could be, he could be that evil on the other side, and he could switch like that.”
Ludwig said her abuser went on a robbery spree, robbing three individuals at knife point. He was arrested on the way to Ludwig’s house.
“We’re not sure if he was trying to come back and finish the job of trying to kill me, or if he was trying to get me to help him again,” she said.
In the aftermath of the attacks, Ludwig said she’s trying to pay off $6,000 worth of dental bills because of damage caused to her teeth. She also lost a new car that he had totaled and her home, she said.
“It’s two years later and I’m still trying to work on getting back on my feet, but I’m slowly getting there,” she said.
She’s working on getting a house and she recently purchased a car.
One of her friends organized a photoshoot with Ludwig as the model, “to show me that I’m still beautiful with everything going on,” she said.
Domestic Violence Shelter
In addition to her family and friends, there to help her navigate the road to recovery has been the Domestic Violence Shelter of Richland County.
“There is absolutely no way I would have gotten through it without the Domestic Violence Shelter,” she said. “They were extremely supportive and were there for me through everything.”
She said they helped her obtain a restraining order and provided counseling and financial support.
“Anytime I needed support, they helped me,” she said.
What was especially impactful for Ludwig while seeking services at the Domestic Violence Shelter was coming to the realization that she’s not alone, and “understanding that there are other people who have been there through the same thing,” she said.
Kathy Ezawa, executive director of the Domestic Violence Shelter, said many survivors have come to similar realizations.
“I think a lot of survivors think that they are the only ones who are going through that terrible thing,” she said. “I’ve met so many survivors who have thought that they were isolated and alone and that the majority of people that they knew weren’t experiencing abuse like this so they must be unique, they must be flawed in some way to be going through this. And when they meet us, they find out that they’re not alone and that they’re not crazy, and that there are folks like us who are here to support them and to move on.”
Two of the Domestic Violence Shelter’s primary services, Ezawa said, are its crisis hotline and emergency shelter, both available 24/7.
The 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 800-931-7233.
“We are the frontline for folks who are in abusive situations and need to leave in an emergency, so our shelter is open 24/7, and our crisis line is answered by trained advocates those same days and hours so that if someone finds themself in an abusive situation and needs to leave suddenly, they can call us and find shelter immediately,” Ezawa explained.
They also provide intensive case management.
“We work with survivors to help them figure out the what next,” Ezawa said.
This help comes in many different forms and can include court accompaniment, community appointment accompaniment, connecting clients to community resources, and working with families to ensure the needs of their children are met.
In 2018, the Domestic Violence Shelter provided emergency shelter to 217 individuals, which was approximately a 40-percent increase over the previous year, according to Ezawa.
Ezawa said their numbers have been increasing year after year, which she believes stems from an increased awareness of their services.
“The more people learn about our programs and how great our services are, how great our advocates are, the more likely they are to come here, and I think that’s what’s been happening over the last several years,” she said. “People have been hearing more about the great programs at the shelter and how the advocates here care about them and want to help them be successful.”
Stronger
The physical damage her abuser caused reminds Ludwig of her horrific past, but she believes she’s come out stronger on the other side.
She also feels her experience has made her a better counselor, she said. She works as a drug addiction counselor.
Through her journey, Ludwig has embraced a profound realization: “Realizing that I’m a survivor, not a victim,” she said.
