Saundra Crockett went through something that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. She couldn't talk to anyone about what happened to her because she was afraid for her safety and the safety of her children.
It took her 12 years to muster up the courage to speak about what she had gone through.
Meet Saundra
Saundra was born in Korea. She had 11 siblings but only met some of them because most passed away before she was even born. However, she was very close to her father when she was a little girl.
"He would take me hiking. He loved mountain climbing," Saundra recalls. Her father ensured that she had a great childhood. "I had a father that loved me," she shared. However, everything changed when she turned four years old.
Heart Attack
It started like any other day. Saundra was playing with her father outside when she suddenly collapsed on the ground. He suffered a heart attack and passed away.
After the death of the most important person in her life, Sandra was sent to live with her sister and her husband in the United States to seek a better life. And that was when her life started to change.
New Life
Saundra's sister was married to an American who was able to provide for both of them. "We traveled all over the world. He was, at first, a great father, from what I thought a father was," Saundra shared.
He would drive her to school, help her with homework and do all the things a loving father would do.
Manipulative Person
Sadly, Saundra soon realized that he wasn't a good person at all. "He was a great manipulator," she recalls.
"He would manipulate me into thinking that he loved me, and because he loved me, it was okay for him to molest me." Saundra felt too ashamed to tell anyone about this, so she just kept quiet.
Telling The Truth
One day, Saundra plucked the courage to tell her sister about what her husband had been doing to her. However, she was surprised by her sister's reaction.
Saundra's sister didn't believe her and denied it because she didn't have the mental and emotional capacity to deal with her husband. Saundra felt betrayed. She wanted to run away and start over, but she couldn't.
The Divorce
When Saundra was twelve, her sister and her husband got divorced, and the two sisters moved to California. Saundra's sister got a job to provide for them while Saundra went to school.
She learned how to take care of herself and be an independent woman. Saundra coped with her loneliness by writing romance novels, hoping that one day, she would find a husband that would "save" her.
"Perfect Man"
"I needed to find the "Perfect Man" that would change my life for the better, " she thought. When Saundra was sixteen, she fell in love with a good-looking young man, and they became a couple.
The young woman ran away with her new boyfriend and became homeless. She still wasn't happy, however. She soon started doing drugs to numb the pain inside of her.
Horrible Experience
"Living in the streets, there are some horrible things that could happen to you, and the horrible things that can happen to you happened to me," Saundra explained.
When she turned nineteen, she found out she was pregnant. She hoped that having a child would make her happier, but this wasn't the case.
New Boyfriend
Having a daughter made Saundra realize how badly she had been treating herself over the last few years. "I was not cut out to be a parent, and I did not want to be a parent, and I just wanted the pain to stop," she recalls.
After ending things with her daughter's father, Saundra found a new boyfriend. She thought it would be different this time. But, sadly, she was wrong.
High Hopes
"He was really different, and this time he was going to love me and take care of me," Saundra thought. However, her new boyfriend was in the habit of doing drugs, and he was also cheating on her.
Sandra caught him with another woman on her twenty-eighth birthday. She confronted him about it, and he didn't take it well. He kept beating her until she was unconscious, leaving her face severely bruised and swollen.
Strong Man
Saundra's partner was a tall ex-Marine guy who had severe anger issues. "He hit me so hard. I believe it started an internal infection," she recalls. Saundra's face was swollen and infected after the attack.
She spent six months in the hospital trying to recover from her injuries. Saundra was unrecognizable due to the injuries on her face. Even her children were afraid to look at her face.
No Hope
"The first hospital said, you know, you only have three days to live, and you probably won't make it," Saundra told CBS Los Angeles.
Saundra wasn't sure if she was going to make it and worried about her children. Who would look after them if she passed away?
Traumatic Experience
Saundra felt so much pain that she couldn't bear it. To make matters even worse, her own children didn't want to be near her because they were scared.
"Dealing with the loss of my face was incredibly, incredibly difficult," she recalled. Saundra had to endure twenty-six surgeries to heal her injuries.
New Face
Saundra had to wear a mask for twelve years to not scare her children with her new face. She felt terrible when they told her they couldn't even recognize her.
"They could hear my voice, so they knew who I was, but they didn't know who I was because of my face," Saundra shared.
Wearing A Mask 24/7
Every day, Saundra wore a surgical mask to hide her face. "I ate with it, I slept with it. I did what I normally do with a surgical mask." She did it to hide from the world.
A few years later, she had another child from a different relationship, and during that time, she started to use drugs again and lost everything.
Rock-Bottom
Saundra lost her home, and her children were taken away from her. She had hit rock bottom and given up on herself. Then, one day, she met a real estate agent who invited her to church with him.
Saundra agreed and started her faith journey with God, although it was very difficult. Despite being homeless, she was also arrested for possession of drugs and child neglect.
Court Day
During the court hearing, Saundra was surprised to see two women from her church in the room. They came there to support her.
Soon, she moved in with one of the women and lived with her for six years. During that period, Saundra gave birth to another child, and this time it was different. She did not feel guilty anymore.
At Peace
Saundra slowly started to heal with the help of God and work on her self-esteem. For the first time in her life, she felt loved and at peace with herself. She finally removed the mask to reveal her real face without being ashamed of who she was.
She finally accepted her face with the support of others and went back to school.
Brave Woman
Saundra said it was one of the greatest moments of her life. After 12 years of wearing a surgical mask 24/7, she finally spoke about the abuse she had with her ex.
She wants other victims of domestic abuse to know that they aren't alone and there are organizations that could help them.
You Can Say No To Domestic Abuse
Saundra is now an advocate against domestic violence and hopes to be an example for other women who have experienced abuse.
"If I had a chance to talk to one person and give them hope, I would tell them that this does not have to happen again," Saundra said.
Face Forward
Saundra is now a member of the Face Forward organization, which provides reconstructive surgeries to physically abused women free of charge.
The organization has helped hundreds of victims, including Saundra. Thanks to Face Forward, she can now open her eyes and mouth wide enough to eat and drink.
Forever Grateful
Saundra looks much better today than how she looked before the surgery. She's extremely grateful for the help of the organization and chooses to help others in the same situation.
Mrs. Deborah Alessi, the founder of this incredible organization, has already helped hundreds of women to move on with their lives.
The Main Goal
Deborah is a victim herself and believes it is her responsibility to help other women and guide them in the right direction.
The organization has aided women with free facial reconstruction for over seven years. "They have to look in the mirror and be reminded that this man or this woman or this mother did this to me," Deborah told CBS.
Dr. David Alessi
Dr. David Alessi, Deborah's husband, is the one performing the surgeries for the organization free of charge.
Deborah believes that reconstructive surgery is only part of the healing. Therapy is a crucial part of recovery. All of their patients, including Sandra, had to undergo therapy after the surgery.
Self Confidence
Saundra believes the reconstructive surgery helped her to find peace and accept herself. She is not ashamed of her face anymore and does not need a surgical mask to hide her face.
She is thankful for all the surgeries and therapies that she received and wants to pay it forward.
Pay It Forward
Deborah explained that all their patients must sign a form saying they need to pay it forward. Then, once they have completed their surgeries and therapies, they become an advocate against domestic abuse.
"There is no better reward than seeing my patients starting to heal," Deborah said.