Mother of two, Loreena Purcell grew up never feeling heard and loved. Growing up in an unstable home, and the victim of violence, sexual abuse and neglect it was a challenge for her to feel safe and trust people. With the support of Marina, our Whānau Resilience Coordinator, Loreena was slowly able to overcome her challenges and build a better life for herself and her children.
11 January 2024
Mother of two, Loreena Purcell grew up never feeling heard and loved. Growing up in an unstable home, and the victim of violence, sexual abuse and neglect it was a challenge for her to feel safe and trust people.
At the age of 19, Loreena became pregnant and gave birth to her son. She was in an unhealthy relationship with her partner at the time, and experienced physical violence and emotional abuse.
Sadly, by the time Loreena had her second child the cycle of physical, verbal and emotional violence continued. Loreena felt hopeless, alone, scared and scarred by the years of trauma she had experienced.
The turning point for Loreena was the result of an assault in front of her daughter on her 25th birthday.
"When you’ve been held down and assaulted in front of your children and you can’t fight back, your life changes. You start to question if your children are safe with you, and how am I going to keep my children and I safe. I lost everything didn’t even have clothes, had been beaten, and was living at Women’s refuge. It was a realisation for me, that things have got to change.”
The physical assault Loreena experienced was the catalyst for the decision she made to self-refer herself to the Whānau Resilience programme.
Unfortunately, in December 2022, Loreena received an application for a Parenting order for her daughter. Thankfully the Judge allowed her daughter to remain in her care. This was a devastating blow for Loreena, but she was determined to turn her life around and not lose custody of her daughter. Disconnected from her family but determined to make changes for her children Loreena enrolled in the Whānau Resilience programme desperately seeking help.
With the support of Marina, our Whānau Resilience Coordinator, Loreena was slowly able to overcome her challenges and build a better life for herself and her children. Marina supported Loreena to take the steps to build trust, identify the reasons for her trauma, develop plans and strategies to enable Loreena to become resilient.
"I felt listened to, I felt I could trust someone, and I felt cared about. Marina went out of her way to help me, she would come with me to Court and appointments. She treated me like a person, not my trauma. I am now focused on the health and wellbeing of myself and my kids, through healing becomes me being able to be me.”
Loreena was also able to start her own healing process. Her message to other victims of violence is to keep seeking out help, no matter how hard it may be.
“Reach out keep referring yourself for help, keep doing referrals, nothing is going to change unless you take that step to change. Your trauma doesn’t define your crown. I don’t know if I would have made it through without Marina, she inspired me to push my kids for greatness in their sports, when you have someone that believes in you wholeheartedly, it was the first time I felt love.”