Victoria native Shannon Terleski takes pride in all her roles: mother, nurse, author, model. But the label she wears the most boldly is of a survivor.
I spoke to Shannon a few weeks ago and the one thing that struck me was how open she is about being a victim of domestic abuse. “My goal is to remove the stigma of it,” she says. “I want to change the way people see it and not to be ashamed by the other people’s actions.”
She talked about her own battle with such ease and fluidity. And that was the point. If she was comfortable talking about it, we should all be comfortable hearing about it.
“It’s not what you expect when you think about the typical abuse situation,” she says. “There were no drugs or alcohol, we went to church, I had a home to come back to and wasn’t in need of financial assistance to escape.” This is where her openness comes from. She makes sure that anybody who listens knows that there isn’t just one face of domestic abuse. It can happen to anybody. Shannon states that “It needs to be looked at under a broader lens.”
And on April 1st, she brought that lens to the national stage. Shannon took part in the 2016 Mrs. Canada Globe Pageant, an event that not only celebrates the diversity and beauty of married women across this country, but acts as a fundraiser for SOFIA House, a women’s shelter in Saskatchewan.
A highlight is that the evening raised over 40,000 dollars for such a worthy cause. The headline was Shannon. Without sponsors, backers or donors she was awarded contestants choice and placed second runner up in the entire pageant.
“So many other women shared their stories of healing and triumph,” Shannon says. “It was an inspiration.”
Shannon plans to compete in next year’s pageant, not only raising money for the SOPHIA house, but the Victoria Women’s Transitional House to help those going through the same struggle she did and bring domestic abuse to the forefront of discussion.
“I needed resources. I needed to know how to get my life back. Most women who had their life ended from domestic violence were trying to leave. There needs to be more education on it and it needs to start young. That’s why I’m talking about this.”
You can find out more about Shannon on her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mrsbcglobe
To support her charity of choice, the Victoria Women’s Transitional House please visit www.transitionhouse.net
