“Chloe” has called the police only once.

It was the night her abusive partner broke her eye socket — an attack that damaged her vision.

“All I can see are squiggles and shadows,” she said. “Sometimes my vision goes in and out.”

A mom of four, Chloe has struggled with mental illness and the effects of severe trauma throughout her life. She started drinking at a young age and dropped out of school. She ended up in an abusive relationship and lost custody of her children.

The Mental Health Court program in Kootenai County helped her get the care she needed to turn her life around.

Chloe has been clean for three years and working at the same full-time job for 18 months. She’s also working on her GED and has already passed the science test.

Throughout her recovery, one thought motivated her to keep going.

“Every day, I would wake up and realize that my children needed me,” she said. “All I could think about was them and how I could put my life back together.”

Chloe’s children are back in her life. The whole family is healing from the heartbreak they’ve experienced.

“The emptiness in my heart is being filled,” Chloe said.

Chloe said she carried the abuse she suffered into her other relationships. She compared herself to a frightened animal, always looking over her shoulder, constantly braced for more abuse.

“In the midst of my pain, I lost myself and I lost my children,” she said.

But the Mental Health Court program saved her life.

“I’ve overcome a lot of fears,” she said. “There’s still a long way to go, but I’m a totally different person today. I’m sober and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. I have my children in my life.”

Though Chloe supports herself financially, money is tight. Domestic violence left her with damaged vision and severe back problems, but she can’t afford glasses or physical therapy.



Assistance from Press Christmas for All would help her take care of her medical needs so she can continue working and studying for her GED.