Rape Recovery for my Little Sister!
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This Gofundme was created for a truly special individual: my younger sister, Karialyn. On a day that many of us celebrate and look forward to in a birthday, she instead is reminded of the physical and mental violation from her 1st boyfriend. This also happened days after her high school graduation. It was years before I saw her even smile again due to the suffering he caused and the pain she held in out of shame and embarrassment.
We had both talked of remaining celibate until marriage and I was fortunate enough to remain that way. She had planned to do the same. He knew this. He resented this. He took away her goals, her dreams and her joy. These things smoldered for years... and only now is she finally regrowing, finding strength from the ashes... 8 years later.
On her 26th birthday, she found the courage and strength to finally speak out about the trauma on Facebook and the torture she’s endured. Not for attention, or even revenge, but for the simple fact of wanting to protect others from him in hopes no one else will ever have to experience what she had gone through. For 8 years, I myself never knew. No one did. She was alone, poisoned, dying inside from guilt, of all things. Many victims of rape blame themselves. Inside was a warzone - the battle: to regain reality, sanity, and self-respect.
In the 3 months since beginning her path to freedom, she has begun advocating for other victims. She is full of love and compassion. She has recognized that suffering in silence is the way most people handle this life-and-mind-altering event - and wants to free others from the cycle by standing up and speaking out. Even as helping others hurts her, it heals her and them.
Why Karialyn deserves to see Japan?
Karialyn fell in love with Japan as early as 5 years of age. At first, it was the tales of wonder told in Japanese Animation (Anime). By age 8 or 10, it grew to encompass the rich history and culture she came to admire and long for; the people, the language, the architecture, history and mythology. In her early teenage years, she learned to draw and ink in Anime style, wrote stories inspired by their legends, and joined re-enactment acting troupes.
She has earned a degree in Graphic Design and is working toward coupling it with a degree in Art Therapy. Her art has been her own personal therapy. It has kept her going through these tough years - something to focus on that still makes her happy inside. She has done character design and animation for independent movies and comics. She and her friend, Rudy, have made contributions in starting Anime Conventions through Tampa, Florida. She has acted, sung, and danced in stage productions for "Cons" (conventions) always trying to make others happy with every role. She also has her own Cosplay (Costumes) business for jewelry, accessories, and costumes - all items made by hand by herself and our mother - “Accessory to Cosplay” www.facebook.com/AccessoryToCosplay/
She eats, breathes, and dreams of Japan. By the Grace of God, I wish to send her there for her next birthday at the end of May, 2017. I started this Gofundme in hopes to surprise her with the news this Christmas 2016, that through good friends, loving strangers, and her family we can pave and help create a new memory for her and her current boyfriend (whom is an AWESOME and trustworthy lad of similar passion and activities) to tour the beauty that is Japan and its people.
With the help of my husband's friend who lives and works in Japan, I will be setting up what I hope to be the perfect, personal, customized trip. A trip to celebrate something she should look forward to each year, a trip to remind her that she is loved and a trip create a birthday she can finally look forward to. The magic of her 27th to help the healing process.
I know $6000 is not enough for this trip. I will be accumulating an additional $2000+ of my own for a grand total of $8000 or more, God willing.
Please help me help my sister who went without help for so long. Anything you can offer will help. If you’ve ever meet Karialyn then you know how kind and caring she can be to others, how selfless and supportive she is to everyone around her. If anyone deserves this, she does, and she and I would be so grateful to see this wish come true.
Please help.
Thank you.
-Katrina
We had both talked of remaining celibate until marriage and I was fortunate enough to remain that way. She had planned to do the same. He knew this. He resented this. He took away her goals, her dreams and her joy. These things smoldered for years... and only now is she finally regrowing, finding strength from the ashes... 8 years later.
On her 26th birthday, she found the courage and strength to finally speak out about the trauma on Facebook and the torture she’s endured. Not for attention, or even revenge, but for the simple fact of wanting to protect others from him in hopes no one else will ever have to experience what she had gone through. For 8 years, I myself never knew. No one did. She was alone, poisoned, dying inside from guilt, of all things. Many victims of rape blame themselves. Inside was a warzone - the battle: to regain reality, sanity, and self-respect.
In the 3 months since beginning her path to freedom, she has begun advocating for other victims. She is full of love and compassion. She has recognized that suffering in silence is the way most people handle this life-and-mind-altering event - and wants to free others from the cycle by standing up and speaking out. Even as helping others hurts her, it heals her and them.
Why Karialyn deserves to see Japan?
Karialyn fell in love with Japan as early as 5 years of age. At first, it was the tales of wonder told in Japanese Animation (Anime). By age 8 or 10, it grew to encompass the rich history and culture she came to admire and long for; the people, the language, the architecture, history and mythology. In her early teenage years, she learned to draw and ink in Anime style, wrote stories inspired by their legends, and joined re-enactment acting troupes.
She has earned a degree in Graphic Design and is working toward coupling it with a degree in Art Therapy. Her art has been her own personal therapy. It has kept her going through these tough years - something to focus on that still makes her happy inside. She has done character design and animation for independent movies and comics. She and her friend, Rudy, have made contributions in starting Anime Conventions through Tampa, Florida. She has acted, sung, and danced in stage productions for "Cons" (conventions) always trying to make others happy with every role. She also has her own Cosplay (Costumes) business for jewelry, accessories, and costumes - all items made by hand by herself and our mother - “Accessory to Cosplay” www.facebook.com/AccessoryToCosplay/
She eats, breathes, and dreams of Japan. By the Grace of God, I wish to send her there for her next birthday at the end of May, 2017. I started this Gofundme in hopes to surprise her with the news this Christmas 2016, that through good friends, loving strangers, and her family we can pave and help create a new memory for her and her current boyfriend (whom is an AWESOME and trustworthy lad of similar passion and activities) to tour the beauty that is Japan and its people.
With the help of my husband's friend who lives and works in Japan, I will be setting up what I hope to be the perfect, personal, customized trip. A trip to celebrate something she should look forward to each year, a trip to remind her that she is loved and a trip create a birthday she can finally look forward to. The magic of her 27th to help the healing process.
I know $6000 is not enough for this trip. I will be accumulating an additional $2000+ of my own for a grand total of $8000 or more, God willing.
Please help me help my sister who went without help for so long. Anything you can offer will help. If you’ve ever meet Karialyn then you know how kind and caring she can be to others, how selfless and supportive she is to everyone around her. If anyone deserves this, she does, and she and I would be so grateful to see this wish come true.
Please help.
Thank you.
-Katrina
Organizer
Katrina Vincent
Organizer
Springville, IA