My Story

My name is Dune Mecartney, and I am a 17 year old abuse survivor from Pinedale, Wyoming. My domestic violence experience began at a very young age. I first remember my father throwing a vase at my mom when I was three years old. He had a specific cycle of abuse that repeated throughout my entire childhood. He would come home for a couple days, hurt either my mom or me, get in a huge argument with my mom, and then leave for some period of time. Sometimes, he would only be gone for a couple days. Other times, I wouldn't see him for months. When he would leave, he would often shut off the credit cards, leaving my mom and me with no money. I remember often not be able to get groceries, buy gas, or heat the house. When he would come back, he would bring back thousands of dollars of jewelry for my mom to appease her. There were never any real apologies, and he would end up hurting one of us yet again. These attacks would range from beatings, to verbal beratings, or raping my mom. If I wasn't the one being abused, I would often see him hurt my mom. These violent and unstable situations gave me countless mental and physical health issues. My PTSD would plague my dreams, my autoimmune diseases, and my ability to have a normal life. The last time I spoke to my father was September 2019, right after he strangled me to within inches of my life. Since then, I have only been forced to see him through court ordered supervised visitations, which ended in 2022. His actions forced me to therapy for years, and inspired this website. My mission is to prevent any other child to have to experience what I have been through. My life was hell with my abuser, and I wish that upon no one. Through this website and foundation, I have been able to reach countless kids and domestic violence advocates across the world. I am the recipient of the 2021 CPPA Justice for Children Award, and I have spoken to thousands at several broadcasts and conferences about my story. I pray that I am able to touch every heart that hears me, and that every child in an abusive situation is able to escape.