Recovering from St. Patrick's Day Assault
Donation protected
Last St. Patrick’s Day, I went through the unimaginable and was attacked by a stranger mere blocks away from my apartment in New York City. I was beaten, verbally assaulted, forced to kiss my assailant, and hit over the head with a hammer repeatedly. Many of my belongings were stolen and my injuries included a brain bleed, severe concussion, broken nose, fractured eye socket, skull fractures, and lacerations across my face (though the Plastic Surgeon did say I was lucky none of my scars would be “Harry Potter style”).
I vividly remember begging for my life and feel incredibly lucky that my injuries were not as severe as other victims of the same assailant, who was luckily caught with the help of an eyewitness and is awaiting trial in Rikers.
Little did I know that walking out of the Emergency Room was just the start to my journey. This past year has taught me how trauma can affect every aspect of your life and the road to recovery is a long and winding one. I have had to negotiate being on disability and returning to a job that didn’t understand the long-term effects of assault. I have had to fight the Office of Victim’s Services as they refuse to pay for medical costs including CT scans that were done in the hospital as they believe they were not medically necessary at the time (I’m going to trust the doctor on this one that they were necessary…). I have had to navigate the healthcare system to find mental health resources that my insurance would cover. The list goes on...
At the end of the day, I ended up moving across the country to Montana in hopes that I would find healing in a new environment. To try and put a more positive spin on the upcoming anniversary of my assault, I will be running the "Run to the Pub " 10k in Bozeman on March 19. Whether you want to help me pay off some medical expenses or help me seek out future opportunities for healing, all support is welcome and appreciated. Additionally, I know there are so many others who are struggling with mental health so I will be donating 10% of the money raised to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
P.S. A big thank you goes out to my family and friends who have been there for me this past year through all the ups and downs.
I vividly remember begging for my life and feel incredibly lucky that my injuries were not as severe as other victims of the same assailant, who was luckily caught with the help of an eyewitness and is awaiting trial in Rikers.
Little did I know that walking out of the Emergency Room was just the start to my journey. This past year has taught me how trauma can affect every aspect of your life and the road to recovery is a long and winding one. I have had to negotiate being on disability and returning to a job that didn’t understand the long-term effects of assault. I have had to fight the Office of Victim’s Services as they refuse to pay for medical costs including CT scans that were done in the hospital as they believe they were not medically necessary at the time (I’m going to trust the doctor on this one that they were necessary…). I have had to navigate the healthcare system to find mental health resources that my insurance would cover. The list goes on...
At the end of the day, I ended up moving across the country to Montana in hopes that I would find healing in a new environment. To try and put a more positive spin on the upcoming anniversary of my assault, I will be running the "Run to the Pub " 10k in Bozeman on March 19. Whether you want to help me pay off some medical expenses or help me seek out future opportunities for healing, all support is welcome and appreciated. Additionally, I know there are so many others who are struggling with mental health so I will be donating 10% of the money raised to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
P.S. A big thank you goes out to my family and friends who have been there for me this past year through all the ups and downs.
Organiser
Elizabeth Holland
Organiser
Bozeman, MT