“At first, I thought he was perfect. It felt like a movie: I was the quiet, unnoticed girl, and he was the popular football player, strong enough to lift me effortlessly. To my fifteen-year-old self, he seemed like a Disney prince amidst the typical high school crowd…He even proposed using a ring my mother bought; overwhelmed, I responded vaguely, "Maybe."’

“Fleeing physical and emotional abuse, at sixteen I left, choosing the risk of living on the streets instead…The following young adult years found me working my way across the country and internationally, in a series of adventures and calamities that helped me begin to heal and find myself. ”

“I am a survivor of sexual assault and a suicide attempt. I am a survivor who has walked through the revolving doors of love that hurts—enduring two abusive relationships. 

I am a survivor of everything the world has decided to put me through. These experiences are part of my diary—and I have chosen not to tear the pages out. 

This is why.”