Whenever I Look in the Mirror, I Know I’ll Never Be the Same I Was – Domestic Violence Survivor Shares Her Journey

Katie Gilbert, a courageous survivor, has shared her harrowing story of abuse and survival after being nearly killed by her ex, Steven Lario, who is also the father of her child.  

Katie revealed that Steven abused her in 2016, prompting her to secretly save money to escape. Eventually, she packed up her belongings and disappeared, relocating to Greenfield Center to start anew.  

“I started saving as much money as i could to escape and get out and finally in 2016 I packed up my truck and my trailer and everything i could and disappeared and moved to greenfield center to escape and get away, ” Katie shared during a interview with  WNYT NewsChannel 13

However, after a year, Steven found her again. Despite her initial reluctance, she allowed him back into her life, hoping he had changed. “I let him back in our lives because he looked like he was doing better, he was at the bottom of the barrel but he was working on it he was going to meetings,” she explained.  

Things took a turn for the worse in April 2018 when Steven, a h***roin addict, discovered Katie’s emergency savings. This led to a violent altercation. “We got into a huge fight he wind up punching me in the face face knocking me out and while i was knocked out he shot me at the side of my head with a shot gun,” she recounted.  

Since then, Katie has endured over six years of surgeries to repair the damage, including attempts to get a synthetic right eye and a new eye socket—all of which have failed.  

“I don’t need a whole new face; I just need a small section,” Katie said, reflecting on her struggle.

Despite the physical and emotional scars, she refuses to let Steven’s actions define her.  

“I’m not going to be the same katie I was before any of this happened and one thing he cant take away from me is my pride from surviving this, not a victim to what he did,” she declared.  

When asked what she would say to Steven if given the chance, Katie posed a powerful question: “Why? For what reason did you think this was a good idea? Were you really trying to kill me, or was this just a scare tactic?”