Joyce Hayden

At age 12, then at 35 when on the verge of suicide, discovering that I was heard and therefore not alone saved my life.

Depression built in me in the months you were missing. Your story was a reminder that I could have met the same end.

You were a stranger but also my saviour, my teacher and my companion.

A guide to not being a victim-blamer.

When we do not take into account a woman’s reason for choosing an abortion, we strip her of her agency and voice.

It has taken time and practice to integrate my body and my mind, to ask them to live side by side.

Looking back, specific actions helped me embrace a new life and freedom after leaving my abuser.

It has taken me years to speak up and speak out in the hope that others might find strength to voice their own stories.