Help Tom Rebuild After Assault and Job Loss

Hi everyone. I am really scared to do this. But I just gently “lectured” a friend that a person who needs help should never be shamed or ridiculed for asking for it. I often say we have to be the change we want to see.

My name is Tom. And in July 2023, I was sexually assaulted in my own home, making me now a twice survivor; I am a repeated physical violence survivor too. I simply assumed because it had happened once before, I could simply “fast forward” my recovery. And then in May 2024, as I was finally on the mend, I learned I lost my job.

It hurt… because as an autistic person who has gone through even more than I am still letting on, I was FINALLY succeeding in life. I was doing great at a high-paying job, I was getting 2 masters and in a paralegal program all at once… while working full time! I finally won! My attacker took so much from me that day. Most autistic people are unemployed and do not graduate college for context. Let me take a step back and tell you more about who I am. I write papers on quantum AI, unconventional computing (a new & exciting branch of computer science), and recently authored a paper on how to get the world to net zero by 2040. My papers are almost always focused on how tech could be used to save lives or help the most vulnerable.

Things are really bad. But to quote my favorite movie “The night is darkest before the dawn.” With your help, I can walk out of the darkness and back into the light. Every dollar you send goes to either basic necessities or my academic pursuits so I can continue studying how tech might save lives — I am happy to provide copies of my existing work upon request. Thank you. And to any fellow survivors — it’s never your fault, it’s never OK, and getting help is the bravest thing you can ever do.