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Martin's Story: Overcoming sexual assault
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Martin speaking at Say Something!
This article is part of a month-long 'Silence is the Enemy' effort, to raise awareness about rape and sexual violence around the world and here in Seattle. All revenues from the month of June here at the Seattle Grassroots Examiner will be donated to Doctors Without Borders to combat sexual violence. Read more about 'Silence is the Enemy' here and be sure to visit often—the more you click, the more you help.
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Martin, a victim of sexual assault from south Seattle, tells his story. Courtesy of the King County Sexual Assualt Resource Center (KCSARC).
Living as a victim of sexual assault is not something you want to do in your life. You don’t want to think of the past and see a horrible time in your life and then know that because of it, it might affect your future. Knowing that it might get in the way of your relationship with family, friends and other loved ones. That you might not have the ability to look at life optimistically because you have seen how bad it can really be. I had the opportunity to live this life.
I had the chance to look at the world as a wicked and frightening place, but something inside of me, told me that one day the sun would rise and the world I once knew would come back again.
This wasn’t an easy task. I took many weeks and months just to admit it really happed and that it was me who’s life it changed. I woke up many days not know if I could go through another day of pain. Go through a day with the thoughts that I was different and not a normal person. But week-by-week and month-by-month my optimism changed. My look on life and what it could be.
It was a seed planted within me by KCSARC. That would grow each day. I knew I had the power within me to change who I was. KCSARC planted that seed and it was my task to water it and nurture it. There where days when I didn’t do that and days when I did. But when I finally saw that there was something inside or me that could ultimately change me for the better I took full advantage of it.
Now, on this day and the days that lay ahead of me I know that I am a better person because of what I went though and because of what I decided to do with it. I know now that I am not a victim, I am not a different person and that I am as normal as normal can get. I believe that it is within yourself to mold your future. That you have the ability to take charge of the past and either get rid of it all together or every once and a while look back at it and laugh and let it know that you won.
In 2008, Martin went on to organize the first Say Something! walk to raise awareness and funds for the KCSARC.
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