My 18th Birthday Wish

“Let this change you, but not destroy you” are the last words I spoke to him. I turned to the Judge as he thanked me, and then I walked away. I walked away from what had consumed my life for five- hundred and ninety- seven days. When I share my story, I often find myself beginning it here. Factually, this story of mine began on July 3rd, 2017- it began that hot summer night, it began in that bed, it began in that moment that I was raped. But I consider that the ending. The ending of everything I came to know at age fifteen- I woke up that day in love with my life, and went to sleep without trusting myself, anyone, or anything around me. That life had ended. For the next five- hundred and ninety- seven days, I feel as though I was lifeless. A body without a soul. I was fighting to go back two years- back to the girl I was, back to the friends I had, back to my innocence. That’s all I wanted for myself. To turn back time. It wasn’t until February 20th, 2019, that I took my first breath again. I left the courthouse for the final time, and there, I was born again. I was born again when I opened my heart to forgiveness- to the face of my  rapist, to the faces who did not believe me, to the faces who looked the other way, and most importantly, to the girl I was, and the girl I had become. I had been brought back to life. It was not the same life as the one that was taken from me, but to a life that I never knew could exist for me. This is where my story begins. 

I created my first GoFundMe one year ago, for my 17th birthday, with the goal of saving one girl from the pain of sexual abuse through Destiny Rescue. I cannot put into words what saving that child did for me. If you prayed, shared, or donated, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Destiny Rescue is an internationally-recognized Christian non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing children trapped in the sex trade. With their programs in Thailand, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and India, they have rescued over 3,000 children enslaved around the world since 2011. 

As my 18th birthday on September 6th is approaching, I can't imagine wanting anything but to save one more girl. I once heard the words, "I knew I was healing when I began to view the thing that hurt me as an opportunity to help somebody." I know that I have helped at least one victim, and am confident that it will not be the last. I am a voice for the voiceless. We have to be the change we want to see in the world, and this is mine.  

The average cost to rescue one child through Destiny Rescue is $1,500. Your money can help save one innocent life. I ask that you donate whatever you can, and keep the enslaved in your prayers. Thank you. #MeToo