When i was just 5 years old, i was a victim of sexual assault. My cousin also suffered from this, her at the age of 3. we went to court for this, i had to testify in front of strangers, i still remember the fear that covered me that day. The man that did these horrible things to me and my cousin, wasn’t charged. He was able to walk out of that room, completely free. Leaving me and my cousin scarred for life, me with an irrational fear of the dark, always thinking he’s going to come back. My cousin has never truly been a kid, we have both been sexually aware a lot longer than we should have been. I have had anxiety and depression since then, i was diagnosed around the age of 11. I have been told horrible things regarding this situation, i have been made fun of, and i have even had someone tell me that i deserve what happened to me. Now that i am 17, this has happened to me twice. Even though i could have quit long ago, i didn’t. I wake up every morning and i look at a picture of one of the men, and i say out loud “one day i’m going to tell everyone about you, everyone will know exactly who you are”. Every morning that is part of my motivation to be a better me, so that one day i can inspire someone else to do something amazing with their life. no matter what hardships you face in life, you have to keep pushing forward, even though most days it seems a whole lot easier to quit. The biggest motivation for me is proving everyone that doubts me wrong. There is no room in my heart for hate, even for those men.