In 2013, Christy Sims tried to break up with her abusive boyfriend. When she told him the relationship was over, he doused her in sulfuric acid.
After waking from a two-month coma, Christy pressed charges against her boyfriend. The man was sentenced to 20 years in prison, although Christy will live with what he did to her body for the rest of her life.
It is with great resilience that Christy shares her story, and we now share it with you to help other victims of domestic violence.
"Share my story in order to help others. Right now, as I type this, there are people out there about to enter a relationship with a violent person," Christy writes. "There’s someone living their own horror story right now who thinks things might get better if they just 'try harder.' And, there are plenty of people out there who may not be on the verge of an unhealthy relationship but they’re on the track to one. Please share my story. You just might reach one of these people before it’s too late."
See the rest of Christy's journey below.
To learn more about the warning signs of domestic violence visit: The Christy Sims Foundation and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Warning: the following video includes moments from Christy's 911 call, which some viewers may find distressing.
h/t: 11Alive/NY Daily News
"I met my abuser before I was a mental health counselor, I had already become attached to him prior to even studying human behavior, and in the beginning he was extremely charming, romantic, and charismatic," Christy writes on her blog.
"It was not until I started working on my Master’s… did I began to see the signs of abuse, and even then I dismissed them initially because he masked them so well, and I was already attached to him."
Christy would make several attempts to break up with Andrew Fordham but he would always "charm" his way back into her life.
In 2013, when Christy tried to break up with him, he attacked her. Andrew poured industrial-strength drain cleaner, containing sulfuric acid, all over her body.
"I walked to the bathroom and I stopped in my tracks because he was standing there holding a bowl,” she said. “I didn't know what was in that bowl and the next thing I know he's right in front of me he's dousing it on my face,” Christy told 11Alive.
Andrew called 911 but refused their instructions to save her. He lied and told the authorities it was an accident.
“I was being burned alive. Literally the skin burned off my upper torso," Christy told Inside Edition. “They told him to rinse it off. He came over to me in a calm voice and said, 'Baby, just sit there. They said not to rinse you off.' "
Christy was in a coma for two months. When she awoke, doctors told her what happened was accidental. Christy couldn't believe Andrew's lie had stuck. She was quick to report the truth: She was attacked. Despite his not guilty plea, Andrew Fordham was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
“I was a pretty woman. He definitely wanted to disfigure me," she says. "He wanted me to be unattractive to any other man."
The burns cover 20% of Christy's body.
Today Christy has to wear a compression mask and has undergone 13 surgeries. This, however, isn't the story of a victim, but of a survivor.
The mother of two has become an advocate to stop domestic violence.
"It wasn't just for me. This was a victory for any survivor of domestic violence," she said of Andrew Fordham's conviction.
Christy is now a mental health counselor and has founded the Christy Sims Foundation, a nonprofit that helps other women — survivors and those still going through it — cope with domestic violence issues.
“I have children in my life and you know children add a certain element to your life that don't let you give up,” she said. “I can't give up because there is someone depending on me.”
"I awakened from a two-month coma… with a resolve to not only live, but to thrive, and not only to rebuild my life, but to help other survivors of domestic violence rebuild their lives as well," she writes in her blog.
"My life has been forever changed, I will never have the look or the life that I had prior to April 28, 2013. However, I am slowly realizing and accepting that maybe that is the point of it all…to be forever changed, and as a result of my tragedy and my drastic change; to promote a drastic change in our society."
Her advice to victims of domestic violence: "Don't ever give up. Tell your story until someone listens."
See more of Christy's story in the video below.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE).
Please SHARE Christy's story to let survivors of domestic violence know that you support them and that there is help out there.
