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|  The FirstGiving/barcc website is still up and accepting donations until June 30, so please keep the momentum going! Thank you, and our deepest appreciation and gratitude for your support. Read Melanie's Story Boston Metro, April 2, 2008 
Rape survivor readies to walk for awareness BARCC helped woman get through traumatic time BOSTON. It was a rainy night last May and Melanie M. went out with two girlfriends to scope out bars in Boston for her friend’s upcoming bachelorette party. What happened next turned her life around forever. Melanie, 33, was drugged at the bar, taken to the other side of Boston and raped. She woke up in her car the next morning, barely remembering what happened the night before. “You know something horrible happened. You know it in the depths of your soul,” said Melanie, a Charlestown resident who asked that her last name be withheld. “Looking back now its like someone murdered my spirit.” Unaware of who to turn to, Melanie Googled ‘Boston’ and ‘rape,’ and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) popped up on her screen. She called their hotline and minutes later a counselor called back. “BARCC was with me every step of the way,” said Melanie, who is now afraid to leave her house without a family member. A representative from BARCC accompanied her to the hospital — where a rape kit confirmed her biggest fear — and sat with her when she met with Boston Police. She spent 12 weeks in counseling at BARCC. And when she tried to kill herself in July, it was a BARCC councilor who met her at the emergency room. Most importantly, the people at BARCC gave Melanie an outlet to grieve. “I was walking through life trying to keep control of the emotions. Not talking about it isn’t going to make it go away,” she said. This weekend Melanie is participating in BARCC’s annual walk along the Charles River to give back to an organization she claims saved her life. “I want other people to know they’re not alone,” said Melanie. | |
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