Living & Loving Through Rape
Donation protected
I was raped. (pause, I know that makes you uncomfortable so I'll give you time to process).
Now I'll say it again. I was raped at the ripe ol' age of 38.
Technically, I was drugged, kidnapped (in Russia), used and abused, had to survive traveling 6,000 miles home broken & battered, couldn't go back to work and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD, which is incredibly dibilitating. Fun stuff.
What I've learned from all of this is that people find my story fascinating but rape, in and of itself, is a dirty subject. It makes people cringe. It's uncomfortable. So I'm going to write about it - not just for me, but for all survivors and the people who have to love them through it. There's no handbook for surviving rape or helping someone in the aftermath, but there is hope. There are ways to cope and I've explored a lot of them. In this book I will share my ups and downs, my story through the eyes of the people who have loved me in my darkest hours, tips for what to do when somebody you know is raped and how to travel safer.
The funds raised will help get the book published, distributed and marketed. It will help pay for my training to become a certified rape advocate and any remaining money will go to the local rape center, where I plan to start volunteering once I finish my advocacy training, which starts next month (so if you could donate now, that would be great!)
Bad things happen to good people. I don't want what happened to me to be for nothing. 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. That's a lot of people who could use my help. Please help me help them. It's a big topic that receives little attention. I'm going to change that. Just watch...and please donate...and share so your friends can donate too. Together we can make a difference.
From the bottom of my heart,
Thank you.
Now I'll say it again. I was raped at the ripe ol' age of 38.
Technically, I was drugged, kidnapped (in Russia), used and abused, had to survive traveling 6,000 miles home broken & battered, couldn't go back to work and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD, which is incredibly dibilitating. Fun stuff.
What I've learned from all of this is that people find my story fascinating but rape, in and of itself, is a dirty subject. It makes people cringe. It's uncomfortable. So I'm going to write about it - not just for me, but for all survivors and the people who have to love them through it. There's no handbook for surviving rape or helping someone in the aftermath, but there is hope. There are ways to cope and I've explored a lot of them. In this book I will share my ups and downs, my story through the eyes of the people who have loved me in my darkest hours, tips for what to do when somebody you know is raped and how to travel safer.
The funds raised will help get the book published, distributed and marketed. It will help pay for my training to become a certified rape advocate and any remaining money will go to the local rape center, where I plan to start volunteering once I finish my advocacy training, which starts next month (so if you could donate now, that would be great!)
Bad things happen to good people. I don't want what happened to me to be for nothing. 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. That's a lot of people who could use my help. Please help me help them. It's a big topic that receives little attention. I'm going to change that. Just watch...and please donate...and share so your friends can donate too. Together we can make a difference.
From the bottom of my heart,
Thank you.
Organizer
Brenda Halfeldt Gonzalez
Organizer
Geneva, IL
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