On average, at least one woman in Australia is killed by a current or former partner each week.
To mark White Ribbon Day, domestic violence survivor Simone O’Brien, 41, bravely tells The Weekly of her near-death experience at the hands of her former partner in 2012 – a harrowing event she is still physically and psychologically recovering from to this day.
Rising above her pain and life-long ailments, the ever-inspirational Simone also tells us why it is just so important to “act now” and speak up if you feel you’re being abused in any way, shape or form.
“There was no verbal or physical abuse; mine was all controlled.”
He would delete things out of my phone, and steal money out of my purse, as well as my kids’ laptops and DVDs.
I didn’t put it all together at the start, but the small red flags were actually really big red flags; they may not have been punches or bad language, but they were just building…
On the Saturday prior [to the attack], I said to a very good friend of mine, ‘I’m getting out of this relationship.’
On the following Monday, I called it off with him. One month later, I woke up in ICU struggling for my life. The police actually think he intended to kill me.
He had dropped my son at basketball training, and once he had done that, I called him to tell him I can’t be with him. Within 10 minutes, he had come storming through the front door and asked if he could speak to me in the bedroom.
Knowing the kids were there – and they had friends over – I didn’t think something would happen.
Simone before her life changed forever…
“Then, I ended up on the ground; that’s one thing I don’t remember from that day – how I got there.”
I do remember my arm being up and all of a sudden a baseball bat came out of nowhere. I had my arm covering my body, but he gave me one big blow, and then my arm was broken.
The kids came in and I screamed at them to get help from the neighbours.
Meanwhile, he starts hitting me on the head – I can’t remember any blows to my face, which is great, because [the doctors] think he hit me about 45-50 times.
I’m only hearing stories now because I can’t remember it all clearly, but I do one of my neighbours saved my life. As we waited for paramedics, she was actually holding my head together with towels.
I’m doing really, really well now. I only have one more operation after nearly 50, and for me it’s only a minor operation of transferring fat from my belly into the skin graft on my forehead where they had to cut a piece of my skull out to put a titanium plate in there to protect my brain.
I’m always going to have to have jaw physio for the rest of my life [Simone’s top jaw was also broken, as were both of her eye sockets]. Every little thing affects my life. I’ve got no vision in my right eye, and will never have that vision. I’ve lost my sense of smell and I still haven’t been cleared to go to work…
“This picture was taken last March – four years down the track and I am still having major operations.”
“I never got depressed; I just kept smiling and trying to be positive every day.”
“But you know what? I feel like a lady today – I’ve even got make-up on!”
After four years, it’s such a huge thing. Some women may take it for granted, but as a positive, this just makes me smile because I’m on the right track now.
If you feel like you’re in a domestic violence relationship, or something really doesn’t feel right, please speak up – even if it’s to a neighbour, a work colleague or a friend – because your life can change in a matter of instants.
Even if he is stealing money from you or doing something behind your back, speak up!
Those little red flags can actually be big red flags, so act on it as soon as you can. Act fast. Deal with the small issues before they get too big.
Glenn Cable, who Simone refers to as “the perpetrator”, was convicted of attempted murder for his senseless attack on Simone, and sentenced to 15 years in jail. He is eligible for parole in 2025.
“Four years ago to now – a couple of weeks ago, I ran a marathon! I did it for women as part of White Ribbon to encourage them to never give up.”
What is domestic violence?
According to White Ribbon, domestic violence can come in an array of different forms including, but not limited to:
• Emotional abuse
• Physical assault
• Sexual assault
• Verbal abuse
• Financial abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Isolating a woman from her friends and family
• Stopping a woman from practicing her religion
If you feel like you need someone to talk to more about domestic violence, visit White Ribbon Australia’s website for more information, or call 1800RESPECT now.
