A young woman who lived through a nightmare has been given a second chance with reconstructive surgery. Nineteen-year-old Kayla Hayes is speaking out about her journey out of an abusive relationship, through a terrifying attack, and now, recovery.
It’s been just over a year since Hayes met her ex-boyfriend, Seth Fleury, in a parking lot on Oct. 21, 2017. They wanted to talk about their relationship. Hayes had recently broken up with him, and she was insistent that they wouldn’t get back together.
Hayes says she should have recognized the signs of abuse.
Hayes had been afraid of Fleury for a long time. She guessed that he was abusive but had always been too frightened to break the relationship off. When she finally did, Hayes still wanted to allow him to try to apologize for some of his wrongs. So, she agreed to meet him in the parking lot for a discussion. Fleury hoped Hayes was ready to resume their relationship.
However, Hayes stayed firm in her resolve. When Fleury realized she wasn’t backing down, he attempted to kiss her. She tried to pull away, but he bit down on her lip as hard as he could — ripping it off her face.
At first, she didn’t know what was happening.
“He just latched on to me,” Hayes said. “I felt it tear and it was already numb, but I felt it and then I went into complete shock and survival mode and started screaming. Then I looked down and my lip was on my leg — it was covered in gravel. I just picked it up and I was thinking what the heck is this.”
At first, police didn’t realize just how serious it was.
Hayes says when she began to scream for help, Fleury pulled her from her car and threw her to the street, then shut the door. He left her screaming and bleeding in the parking lot. Two people, a man and an elderly woman, came to her aid.
Hayes says she will never forget their fear, but they helped her anyway. They contacted emergency medical services and stayed with her until they arrived.
Fleury began to call her cell phone as she was transported to the hospital. Hayes tried to contact a friend, who could not understand her. She handed the phone to a bystander in a panic and asked her to explain since she physically could not articulate the words.
The physical healing wasn’t the hardest part.
Hayes received more than 300 stitches and underwent multiple reconstructive surgeries. But doctors were not able to fully reattach her lip. They implanted a prosthetic instead.
For many months, she was only able to barely lift the corners of her mouth. Talking normally and smiling were impossible. What was much worse were the intense emotions of guilt, shame, and fear.
“This was the day that a piece of me died,” Hayes wrote on social media. “Sitting in a puddle of my own blood with the majority of my lip laying on my leg, my whole mouth on fire, confused and terrified, I didn’t know how I could ever show my face again. At that point, wishing that those very seconds would just be my last— I wanted to give up for good.”
Hayes says after a long time, she’s finally ready to move on.
In October 2018, Fleury pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. But Hayes says that it was a long time before she felt free of his presence.
She says she felt like she had been branded with Fleury’s mark for her future relationships. She also felt guilt and shame, feeling that she should have known to break off the relationship long before she did.
She was embarrassed about the state of her face and heartbroken about what people would say to her. She even joked that she would no longer need Halloween costumes since she was a Halloween costume now.
Finally, though, Hayes says she has come to terms with the fact that the best revenge is learning to move on.
She says her new motto is “Wear your scars as your wings.”
“If I sit down and let this defeat me then he will only get more satisfaction out of what he’s done,” she said.
It has been a long journey of healing, both physically and emotionally. Hayes has undergone multiple surgeries and now has a false lip implant. She also runs a blog detailing her journey and offering support to other victims of domestic abuse. As for Fleury, he won’t be eligible for parole for more than 10 years.
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