By Ava Simone Collier

Basically I felt like my life was dark for a lot of years,” says LaKeisha Davis, “My oldest child’s father put me through all kinds of stuff. Once I was able to break away from that, I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Before her break, LaKeisha was beaten and mentally abused by her boyfriend on a regular basis. This cycle of abuse ultimately led her to a suicide attempt. “I was eight months pregnant. He dragged me up and down the stairs by my hair. I fought to get away and to save my unborn baby’s life. I knew I had to get away.” However, LaKeisha’s idea of getting away came in the form of a suicide attempt later. “I felt like I didn’t have any alternative. I overdosed on a bunch of pills after putting my kids to bed. I took all the pills that I could and became really light headed and began to cry as I waited to pass out and die.” Luckily, her boyfriend’s sister found her and called the ambulance to rescue her. “I realized that she was calling for help for me but I didn’t want it so I went and locked myself inside a bedroom.” LaKeisha states that despite her efforts to end her life, the ambulance attendants kicked the door in and began to perform rescue efforts. “At the hospital, they pumped my stomach and wanted to admit me to the psyche ward. I didn’t want that and they made me promise to get counseling. But I didn’t. I wasn’t happy that my daughter’s aunt tried to save me by calling for help. I felt like her brother didn’t care about me, why should she?

LaKeisha says her cycle of dysfunction continued to escalate. Instead of seeking counseling, she began to “act out” her anger onto others, which landed her in prison after she attempted to murder some women that she’d had some issues with. “I was getting into it with some females. I was pushed to the point where I wanted to kill them but I didn’t. I cut three girls up and was on the run for two months. Police caught up with me and I was sentenced to 24 years. I only served 18 months.” LaKeisha explained that she knew she couldn’t leave prison the same way she came in. She knew a change for the better was desperately needed in order to reclaim her life and make it better. “I got into classes that helped me be a better person once I was released.” Twelve years since her release from prison has seen Lakeisha evolve into a wife, a loving and caring mother and an author. She explained that she met her current husband through a friend. Although she admits that her marriage is good, she shared that in the beginning, she had to constantly remind herself that her husband was nothing like her abusive boyfriend. “My husband is the light. In the beginning, I basically compared him to my former boyfriend. I wasn’t used to a good man and I was always trying to find something negative in him. I would hit him to try to get him to hit me back.” She admits that her cousin made her realize that she now had a good man who loved her and that she would have to stop her behavior or run the risk of losing him.” LaKeisha shares a laughs and says, “I don’t hit him anymore. That has stopped. He’s a good man and I know that."

She admits that her children had been psychologically affected by her life and were having problems in school during that time. Now, however, she says that their lives are back on track as well. “My children are doing well now. It had my kids messed up in the head. I wasn’t getting the love I wanted and I didn’t show them the love they needed.