HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month overlap during October. The life of a woman from Houston reveals a powerful and heartbreaking connection to both.
Vanessa Jackson joined Eyewitness News live during Tuesday’s 9 a.m. streaming newscast to share her story.
Jackson said she can now see the red flags. She said her partner isolated her from her family, made her believe that she had no worth, and abused her physically. She said that she thought that it was better for her children to remain in the relationship until a scary incident when she said he began choking her.
Jackson and her children found safety at a shelter, and once they became secure, Jackson said she began taking her health seriously.
RELATED: Breast cancer resources: What you need to know about diagnosis, treatments, support
She said she decided to see a doctor about a lump in her breast that her former boyfriend had downplayed. She was diagnosed with cancer and found the resources she needed to go from feeling defeated to feeling victorious at The Rose.
The Rose’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign is called “Powered by Community. For Community.” Jackson said she believes that means there’s power in community, saying it’s the power she needed to overcome both abuse and breast cancer.
If you need help getting out of a domestic violence situation, call the Houston Area Women’s Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or call AVDA at 713-224-9911. You can also click here to chat with an advocate online. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and need help, call 713-528-3625.
For updates on this story, follow Briana Conner on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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