Karen is not reluctant to say that Family Tree saved her life. In a moment, Karen’s story in her own words. Upon meeting Karen, you would find her to be an intelligent, confident woman who holds a BA in English, and an Associates in Childhood Education. She teaches at a private school and has two children ages 5 and 8. Here is Karen’s story.

Recently I discovered that an individual was stalking me primarily over the telephone. Then, he broke into my home, fortunately while the children and I were away. On August 8, of 2006, he broke into my home while the children and I were there. It was clear that he wanted to kill me.
I was punched in the head 40 times, from which I suffered a brain injury resulting in swelling and bleeding. I also suffered bruising around my throat from being choked, as well as a black eye and swollen blood vessels from a blow to the head.

My lifesaver was my daughter, Nicole. The night before the assault, she and I had attended a Time Out For Kids program at the Family Tree Karlis Family Center. At Karlis, Nicole went through a safety training where the children were taught when and how to contact 911 emergency services.

While I was being struck and my life was slowly being drained away – it was Nicole who remembered her training, ran to a neighbor’s home and contacted 911 services. That’s what saved my life. And had Nicole not received the safety training at Family Tree Karlis she would not have known how to respond when I was being assaulted.

Now, it’s been about a year since my attack and I still continue to receive care from Family Tree. My children and I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the attack. Those helping my family and I at Family Tree say we are making great strides in getting our lives back. I’m here today because of my family and because of Family Tree. I hope that Family Tree will always be there to lift up, encourage and when needed, be a lifesaver for families like mine. Thank you Family Tree.