What Happened:

I was with a boyfriend for 1 year. As he began to hang out with friends more and I got more into school, we hardly saw each other. He became angry thinking that I was cheating on him and he became abusive physically and sexually. I was scared to leave him because he threatened to kill himself if I left him.
When I did leave him he came after my younger siblings and then he came after me saying that if he could not have me no-one would. He did come after me and tried to run me down in his car. Other times he would try to get people to get me to go places and he would end up there and if I did not want to talk to him he would get violent.
It finally ended one night when I agreed to talk to him to sort it out and when we were in the car talking he got angry over something and tried to strangle me. When I fought him he took out a gun and tried to shoot me in the head and hit me in the stomach when I moved. Luckily a friend had followed me, being concerned I was with him, and stopped him. My ex-boyfriend is now in jail for attempted murder and thankfully I have moved on with my life. Hopefully he will be in there for awhile.

How I coped:

I went to counseling for a year and with the help of my family and friends and my new boyfriend. I realized that he is in jail and can not hurt me anymore. I still get scared late at night though.

How the situation changed:

I left him and he is no longer around. I have a new boyfriend who is a lot nicer and loves me. He does not want to keep tabs on me 24/7. I like the freedom to make my own descisions.

What helped me to get stronger:

The support of my family and friends. The courage I found to pick my life up, put it back together and move on.

What I would say to someone who is being abused:

Realize that there is a problem and it is not your fault. Then, get out while you can. No matter how hard it gets, you do have the courage deep down inside to leave and help yourself. And no matter how bad it seems it will get better.