Help Nana Heal, and Save the Lives of other Abused Women

In the heart of South Africa, a tale of unwavering bravery and unimaginable horror unfolds. This is for my sister, Thembelihle Sibisi, known as Nana.

Nana and I grew up together, bound by love and loyalty, though not by blood. I was so happy for her when she married a seemingly good man and had two beautiful children. However, I later found out that her husband was abusive. In addition to an unrelenting torrent of emotional abuse, he would hit her till she fell to the ground and then he would kick her.

In October 2013, Nana faced a nightmare no one should ever endure. After bravely attempting to escape her abusive husband with her children, she was ambushed by him a few days later not far from her grandmother's home. In a horrific act of violence, her estranged husband shot her in the face, and then, thinking she was dead, turned the gun on himself, dying instantly. 

Miraculously, Nana survived. The bullet shattered her teeth and jaw and narrowly missed her jugular vein. She went through several complex surgeries and many long weeks in the h...