Before the story airs: A domestic violence survivor's story

When I first met Christie Adams, she looked more like a college student than a grown woman. She was petite, wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, reading on the couch.

But as I looked around the room at the mementos she had saved from her 3-year-old son Jesse – T-shirts, a blanket, stuffed animals, photos – I realized that she was wise beyond her years. Christie has lived through every parent’s nightmare – the loss of a child.

“At least I got to tell him I loved him,” she said of her last phone conversation with her son.

This sent a chill up my spine. As a parent, I left her house wondering how she gets up every day and carries on. Part of the reason is that she has two other children. The other part is that she wants people to think differently, to truly understand domestic violence, to help stop it. I’m convinced people like Christie Adams are the key to turning the tide, to changing minds and hearts. I hope I live long enough to see it.