When I was 17 I was raped by someone I considered a friend. I tried to suppress my emotions and feelings as much as possible and hide under the bed covers (literally). I went through the reporting process, hospital exams, and bouts of depression and severe anxiety/panic attacks. For years I struggled with PTSD, anxiety, and depression after my assault. After a couple years of therapy, help from family and friends, and support from those around me, I have come to a place of acceptance and healing from where I was when I was 17. I feel as if my assault is simply just a chapter in my life rather than what defines me. While it did change me quite a bit, it doesn't make me who I am. I am my own person who is defined by what I do in this world, not what the world did to me. I am a survivor of sexual assault.
-Anonymous, 19