After suffering for decades through the hands and words of others, Broken Ballerina Inc. Founder, Jules Thompson, said the lowest point in her life was having her children taken away from her.
“When I finally fled domestic violence in 2012 and had my two little boys with me, it was a turning point,” Jules said.
“But a few months later through dealing with the trauma I had a breakdown, I was institutionalised and thrown in a psych ward in a mental health unit.
“My children were taken away from me and my rights as a parent taken away,” Jules said.
“I was mislabelled, misjudged, drugged, and my children were handed back to our abuser to be re-abused.
“That was my lowest point, losing my children and having nothing left in this world.”
Her book, Broken Ballerina, covers her history of abuse through domestic violence and how she fought her way out of the lowest point of her life. Jules celebrated her book launch last weekend at the Mt Pleasant Shopping Centre and says it does have a happy ending.
“My book is full of lessons learned and I hope it empowers people,” Jules said.
“I want to show people that whether they struggle with drugs or alcohol, if they are being abused or dealing with another traumatic situation, there is hope and there is help.
“I’m proof that you can turn your life around and become whatever you choose to be.”
Jules wrote most of the book in 2016 and then recently added to it before it was published.
“I came up with the title in a Kenworth truck that Pete was driving as we travelled through the middle of Australia. The name Broken Ballerina, it just came to me in a moment.”
Jules Thompson launched her book, Broken Ballerina, last weekend at Mt Pleasant Shopping Centre. Photo: Amanda Wright
