Sexual Assault Awareness Month Starts April 1

…and I will be kicking it off by returning to local radio to talk about my experience with reporting my sexual assault years after the fact.

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, you will know that last summer I decided that I wanted to report my sexual assault from when I was 21.

The report itself was extremely hard but having a trusted advocate by my side and a trained and understanding detective made all the difference. It was draining but I felt empowered and proud of myself for speaking up and naming my rapist for who he was.

That feeling crumbled a couple months later when I received the call from the detective that too much time had passed and that nothing could be done except my report going on file (if anyone else comes forward it can be used as reference to past accusations) I was devastated. I was angry. I was every emotion you can imagine. It snow balled from there. One bad thing after another happened until early this year I nearly had a break down.

I’m doing a lot better now and with it being the 10 year anniversary of the sexual assault I want to continue to reclaim my life, speak my truth and help others in the process. I reached out to my contacts at the SA/DV center I’ve been receiving support from and asked if I could go back on the radio to talk about my experience.

So, I will be returning to the radio on April 1st to talk about my experience. I will post a link to the interview once it’s up!

Healing begins when someone bears witness. I see you, I believe you. -Olivia Benson

My healing is a never ending process but I couldn’t have gotten this far without all the people that have supported and believed me! And, just like all the support I’ve received, I pay it forward. I see and believe other survivors. I know the pain, the horror, the anger but I also know the joy, the excitement, the empowerment from healing, from growing, from supporting others. And, I know that there is a purpose for the pain. I am proof of that. Proof that there can be beauty after the darkness.

I am…. Becoming Katie Butterfly. The old has gone, the new has come.