A 2017 domestic homicide in Yellow Grass turned the lives of one family upside down--and they'll be taking a stand in Swift Current next month to share their story. 

Joan McDonald, Leah McDonald Perrault and Lorell McDonald Linke, will be the guest speakers at the Her Story event, raising awareness about interpersonal violence and abuse in the southwest. 

The trio of southwest women will talk to the impact of losing sister and daughter Abbie Speir at the hands of her partner.

"It really it really shocked our family," said Leah, Abbie's twin sister.  "It was not something we ever thought would happen to us. Abbie was so strong and so smart. She was not the kind of person that anybody would have thought would die from her partner."

Leah and her siblings were raised in Elrose, tightknit and close in age. She described Abbie as feisty, vibrant, and always the life of the party. 

The devastating loss, while impacting everyone differently, has become important for the trio to continue to speak about even seven years later. 

"We don't want other people having to live this story," said Leah. "The statistics sadly tell us that there is an epidemic of intimate partner violence in this province, and it's so highly preventable if we as a society could identify the warning signs, seek help and supports for perpetrators so that the stories don't end this way. We're talking about this not because it's easy or fun, but because it matters to us that Abbie's story can be a part of a different ending for other people."

The Her Story brunch and talk will take place at the Living Sky Casino on March 23, and seats can be reserved by contacting Southwest Crisis Services at swcrisis@sasktel.net or (306) 778-3386.