

One of the most critical—and dangerous—times in a survivor’s life is when they are fleeing an abusive environment. Many Mary’s Place clients arrive at our doors having traveled by car, bus, and sometimes on foot, to get to safety.
Clients like Aniya* and her two children who traveled more than a thousand miles by bus to get to Mary’s Place after a harrowing escape from Aniya’s unrelenting husband.
“We left for Grand Forks early one morning. Four hours into the trip, the bus broke down,” Aniya recalled. By the time we arrived back at the bus depot, it was night and pouring rain.”
Broken and terrified, worried she made a mistake leaving, Aniya gathered strength from her children who heroically reminded her what was waiting for them at their destination in Grand Forks: freedom.
“We know this isn’t going to be easy but nothing good ever is. Let’s follow our dream,” Aniya recalls her children saying.