Joannie Blyth needed a song.

During the divorce, she turned to Annie Lennox. But after divulging her story of domestic abuse publicly for the first time last week, she turned to a new voice — Katy Perry’s optimistic pop anthem, “Roar.” She played the tune nearly nonstop for 24 hours until it was time to put herself in the uncomfortable position of speaking about her trauma in front of a horde of strangers and city dignitaries.

“I’m gonna write a letter (to Perry) to say thank you,” Blyth said. “It has the words – words are very powerful.”

Victoria Throm, founder of the nonprofit Covington Domestic Violence Task Force, said approximately 53 walkers carried Stop Domestic Violence signs during the first Take a Step Against Domestic Violence 5K Walk, held in conjunction with the Purple Light Nights campaign on Sept. 27, with car horns from passersby offering additional support for the cause. The event raised $400.

Blyth told The Reporter that she partially hoped people wouldn’t recognize the words from the Sept. 26 Reporter story belonged to her. But people did. She was moved to tears by supportive phone calls from people she didn’t expect. That included multiple men who told her about their own history of suffering domestic abuse.

Blyth said she came away in awe of her own abilities.

“If anybody knows me, they know this is not me,” she said. “I cry at commercials. My heart is the softest part of who I am. For me to stand up in front of the mayor and other city dignitaries, without breaking or crying — I was solid as a rock.”

Throm said she knew that Blyth was a domestic abuse survivor, but didn’t know all of the details.

“I didn’t realize she hadn’t shared that before and that’s a hard thing,” Throm said. “I know when I had to do that, you kind of have to relive it again so you almost need to go get healed again.”

Blyth said she had many people to thank for the courage to step forward and “use her voice” — to a mechanic who gave words of encouragement and a lady who gave her a loan when she was at her lowest point.

“It is people that made me strong,” she said. “I was strong. I did it.”

Blyth said she was “pretty amazed” at the turnout and was in awe of the “effective ripple” it caused among community members. She said that a mother approached her at the event, asking how she can get out of an abusive relationship. Blyth said she also walked with three young boys who had questions about why abuse happens.

“I know we affected someone in our community,” Blyth said. “It pulled the community together to know that this is not acceptable.”

But the aftermath hasn’t been entirely positive. By divulging the verbal and physical abuse she suffered during her 20-plus years of marriage, that also meant pain for Blyth’s children. Blyth said she sent a text message to her daughter asking forgiveness, hoping that someday she will understand why she felt the need to tell the story.

“Did they want to hear that – that that’s their father?” Blyth asked. “It’s not fair to rock their world for the love of their father. Because he was a good man. An awesome man. And I hope that someday (my daughter) will be able to forgive me for what I am doing. I know in my heart that I made a difference.”

Throm said she “couldn’t have been happier” about the event and that the walk will continue again next year. With the story out in the open and a passion to save other potential victims, Blyth expects to keep singing on the behalf of others.

“Here I am,” she said. “Here me roar. And I will not stop. I will not stop.”