Warning: This article mentions Domestic Violence.

Dear Lana Parrilla,

First of all, I would like to thank you for reading this letter. I know that you are a very busy person, and for you to take the time to read this letter means the world to me. You first came into my life on October 23, 2011, when you played the Evil Queen in the television show Once Upon A Time. I immediately loved your character and I loved the way you portrayed her. I thought that I would be a regular fan, but as time went on that changed.

In May of 2015 i witnessed something no 18 year old should ever witness. I had been living with my grandparents for about 11 years now and I was definitely, very attached to my grandmother. I knew that my grandparents had issues and that they no longer loved each other. I kept telling myself that, stuff like that happens. Till the big blow up happened. One night in May my grandmother was making Meatloaf for my grandfather and something different for me. My grandfather got out of his chair in the living room and heading to the kitchen where my grandmother was. Living in a trailer the living room looked into the kitchen.

My grandfather demanded that she change what she was putting in his meatloaf, for some reason he wanted to have it made differently. Getting fed up with the demanding, my grandmother turned to him and told him that he should make his own dinner than. Not a second passed and my grandfather looked down at the table and saw the knife that my grandmother used to open a package, and picked it up. He stared at her and a said “I should ram this through you.” My grandmother looked at him and said “Go ahead, what do I have to live for.” I will alway admire my grandmother's bravery saying that. With a laugh my grandfather walked behind her and than to the sink putting the knife in there. My grandmother turned around to see me sitting there on the couch, witnessing the whole thing.

The following day when I went to school, I was crying a shaking, fearing that my grandfather would harm my dear grandmother, I was so scared I knew that I would have to tell a teacher. I have a second cousin who works as a substitute teacher at my high school. Thankfully she was working that day. I told her what happened and she told me to call my father and tell him what happened. I did. He told me that he will take care of things, and we hung up the phone.

I had to leave school early that day because I had therapy. I told my grandmother that I had an idea. When I go to therapy she should come with me and we will call the cops from there, because we knew he would be in the parking lot waiting for me to get out and to bring us back home. My grandmother said that she was thinking the same thing, and that is exactly what we did. My grandfather admitted to doing it and was arrested.

Because of what happened my grandmother no longer wanted to stay in the trailer, saying that there was very little happy memories there, so she started looking for new place to live and she found one. The place that she went I could not follow her, so I ended up moving in with my dad, in a different city, after I graduated high school. That summer, I became depressed and lonely, I had little, to no friends, and I felt like I couldn’t tell anyone what happened thinking that I was troubled. I started to believe that true love and happy endings were all a lie. Than I saw it. I saw your “Long Live Hope” Charity, where 100% of the profits when to domestic violence survivors.

I bought one, feeling like the world was going to be okay. I saw at the end of the 3 day sale that you had sold over 4,000 shirts. I cried. I felt the love of everyone even though they didn’t know me personally, but they stilled helped. They not only helped my grandmother and I they helped so many others.

After the shirts were sold I started to do more research on you. I read about you and your husband, Fred Di Blasio. I started to feel that happy endings and true love could actually happen for me. Whenever I am feeling sad about anything, I watch Once Upon A Time, whether is an old episode or a new one. I feel happy when I see you, knowing that a happing ending could come my way, I just have to be patient. I believe that I way I loved Regina and Robin together (but that is a different story)

I am not saying that having my grandfather in jail is a bad thing. It’s not. What I had to go through to get there is what hurts the most, beside the fact of watching my grandfather threatened to stab my grandmother. I had to move out of my home town and away from my childhood home. I had to give up my dear best friend, my cat Nikko, who has since then passed away.

With all of that happening I do have to give myself some credit. I am in my sophomore year of college now. I am majoring in Elementary Education with a Minor in Child Welfare and Family Studies. I am trying to find a way to spread awareness. Not only for parent who was abused, or threatened, but also for the children who witnessed it. I don’t think I would be where I am today, if it wasn’t for your charity event, so thank you, Thank you for being there for my grandmother and I, even though you don’t even know us.

Thank you

If you or someone you know is being hit by their partner please call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or if you are deaf you can video chat using this number, 1-855-812-1001. If all else fails please call 911. People want to help, and they will listen. you are not alone!