Damaged but Not Broken

Some days are amazing, others I can't even get out of bed. I am Tyger Jackson. A survivor of a brutal attack by my ex. I will not say his actual name here because well, this story is about the survivor. Not the monster who tried to kill me.

Two years ago on March 4th, 2017 after planning secretly for almost a week to move out of my ex's house. I had a friend take me to his house to gather mine and my son's belongings. Now I know what you're thinking, why didn't I just leave and get new stuff. Well the answer to that is I just simply didn't have the money to replace everything.

When my friend and I got to his house the front gate was locked. This was a gate that led to the walkway to the front door, not the front yard gate. I texted him "I'm here." Then he opened the front door and opened the gate and let us in. Neither of us said anything. We just went inside and both grabbed a box (me and my friend, not the crazy ex-boyfriend). We each walked the boxes to her car and then walked back inside the house to grab more stuff.

As I went to grab another box I turned around to Steve standing in front of the front door.

"So we're done," he said.

"Yes," I replied, and with that he pulled two screwdrivers out of his pockets and grabbed Sarah from behind. He started stabbing her in the chest. When I saw that I went for the front door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Before I had a chance to unlock it, Steve dropped Sarah and came towards me.

I ran towards the back glass sliding door and tried to open it, but it was also locked. I turned around to face him and when I did he grabbed the back of my head and shoved the screwdriver in my mouth knocking loose two of my front bottom teeth. I fell to the floor on my back between the wall and a glass dining room table. Right when he started to try and get around the table Sarah opened the front door and he ran back over to her.

I got up and opened the glass sliding door that lead to the back patio area which was completely fenced in. The only way out was through a wooden gate on the side of the house. I ran towards the gate and when I tried to open it I couldn't. It was locked from the outside. There was a space between the fence wall and a tiny tool shed his dad used to keep his tools in. I went into the space hoping to find something to step on to get over the wall but there was nothing. I was trapped.

I was yelling for help and saying, 'He's coming.'

I jumped up in an attempt to hoist myself over the wall, but I wasn't strong enough. I saw the neighbor in his front yard. I yelled some more for help. Then I turned around and saw that Steve was just a few steps away. I fell onto my back again in an attempt to get myself into a position where I could fight him off. At least enough to keep him from killing me but it didn't stop him from getting close.

As I laid on the ground with Steve bent over me I begged him to stop, but he didn't. He just kept stabbing me. The screwdriver entered my throat, my ear, several other punctures on my head, and chest, and then finally was lodged in my eye. I thought I was going to die. I thought I was never going to see my kids beautiful face again. I gave in for just a second but when I did I thought of my son growing up without his mom. I couldn't just let that happen so I continued to fight.

Soon, the next thing I knew the gate was open and there was a man there. He had somehow gotten the gate open. Then right after a police officer came and asked if I could stand. Steve had been chased off and was inside his house. I was yelling that he has a shotgun. I was terrified he was gonna come around the corner with it. I was terrified that he wanted to come back and make sure I was dead any way he could. Luckily, he stayed inside his house.

The police officer asked me if I could walk. Laying on the ground, covered in blood with a piece of metal sticking out of my eyesocket, I tried to get up but I couldn't. I was too dizzy. The officer told me that if I couldn't walk they couldn't get me out of there. There was a second officer by then, a lady cop. I didn't wanna be left there so I took a deep breath and grabbed a hold of the first officers hand and hoisted myself up. Not being able to walk on my own I leaned on the officer while the lady cop shielded me from any other potential harm until we got out from in front of the house where a big window was.

The officer led me around the street corner to sit with Sarah who was already there. Also covered in stab wounds and blood. I told her I was sorry. Then I heard Steve's dads voice, as he said my name and the officer telling him to stand back.

I asked another officer if I was going to be okay, staring back at my bloody face not even knowing if I still had my left eye he said "yes," even though he really didn't know.

Sarah and I were put into a police vehicle and driven around the block to where the ambulance was waiting for us and another was on the way. As I heard them briefly discussing which one of us they should take first as soon as they saw me they loaded me into the first ambulance. It was over and I was still alive but nobody knew if I was going to make it. On the way to the hospital I kept asking to fall asleep. I just kept saying how tired I was and they kept telling me not yet. Not 'til we get to the hospital. The paramedic kept asking my name and what my birthday was and the year. Conversing with me about music to keep me awake. All I could see when I opened my eye was a protruding long piece of metal and flesh sticking out past my nose, so I kept closing my eye.

When we finally got to the hospital, they checked my vitals and I asked again if I could fall asleep.

Then the nurse said "Yes, you're safe now." I'll never forget hearing that.

Thank you for reading my story, yes it is 100 percent true and I am in fact the victim of this story. I had five surgeries including a craniotomy to remove the screwdriver lodged in my eye and two reconstructive surgeries on my ear. Nobody knew if I was going to make it but I did.

Now two years later after having to regain my balance from the ear injury and go through extensive therapy from the PTSD. I have put in a LOT of work and am doing much better. I have both eyes still and 20/20 vision. Not really sure how but I'm thankful for it. I can only hear from one ear as I lost hearing from the one that was injured and I still have nerve damage in the left side of my face, as well as a big scar on my neck.

I have my kid half the time and am also attending cosmetology school. I am thankful I'm still here. I will never stop fighting and moving forward. Steve tried to take me out of this world. He tried to take me away from my son, well I say screw that... I survived, and I will never let this break me!

I changed the name of my friend for her own privacy and protection and I changed the name of my ex because psychopaths don't deserve that kind of recognition. I share this story to inspire others to keep fighting. No matter what you're going through... it wont last forever.