Survivor of domestic violence reunites, shares letter with Minneapolis officers

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Sometimes words have power.

The power to move.

The power to motivate.

And on one fateful day 17 years ago, the power to possibly save a life.

"It was a reality check and those words he said were so unbelievably powerful," said domestic violence survivor Valerie.

She was just 24 years old and in an increasingly abusive relationship when her husband of 18 months got physical with her.

After she called 911, a young Minneapolis police officer pulled her aside and gave her some words of wisdom she'll never forget.

"He told me that if he had to come back to that house again, it would be to identify my body. It was harsh, but it was exactly what I needed at that moment," Valerie said.

So she filed for divorce and never looked back. 

Now all these years later, she not only wrote a letter to thank Officer Heidi Eisenbies and now Sgt. Stephen McBride, She got to read it to them in person to let them know the impact they had on her life.

FIRST REPORT: Domestic violence survivor reunited with police who helped her 17 years ago

"They didn't have to wear a cape. So powerful on their own. Normal everyday people doing an incredibly hard job. That's incredible," she said.

Even though her family dynamic growing up was see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, Valerie says those officers gave her the strength to finally say enough.

"If it will help an officer put that badge on one more time, it will be worth it. If it gives one person the courage to call police because they need help, it will be worth it," Valerie said.

If you are need of help and facing domestic abuse, the following is a list of ohone resources available:

Minnesota 24-hour domestic violence hotline: 1-866-223-1111
24-hour metro crisis line: 612-379-6363
The Domestic Abuse Project: 612-874-7063