'It spiralled out of control:' Domestic abuse survivor in Windsor speaks out

Windsor resident Lise Lehoux endured 25 years of domestic abuse, cried herself to sleep every night and at one point had plans to commit suicide.

On Tuesday night, she lit up a tree in Charles Clark Square decked out in purple lights in honour of the 'Shine the Light on Woman Abuse Campaign.' It's the fourth year Hiatus House has held the event, which honours a survivor of domestic abuse each year.

It was a high point for Lehoux, but her life wasn't always this bright.

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Lehoux said the abuse crept into her marriage slowly. The physical abuse lasted eight years before she called police and had her ex-husband arrested.

She said her spouse received help and she thought things were getting better. She said it was "great for a while" but the marriage quickly took a turn and that's when the emotional abuse began.

"After a while you start to believe that you are the problem and it spiralled out of control," said Lehoux.

Eventually she left her family because she continued to believe she was the issue.

"I cried myself to sleep at night and when I wasn't doing that, I was drinking and doing other things that I'm not very proud of," she said.

The Hiatus House quite literally saved her life, she said, after feeling a sense of hope. That's where she stayed for nearly four months.

Now, she's in a "totally different place" and a healthy environment.

"Life is as opposite from back then as opposite can be," Lehoux said, describing the joy and peace at home with her three youngest daughters.

The Hiatus House is asking the community to wear purple on November 15 to show support for the campaign.