My Mike Wazowski Moment

Good evening my fellow Americans (and my non American friends!) :) I decided to take a few moments to blog while everyone else in my house closes out July 4th watching The Walking Dead. Me? I'm not in to the blood and gore. My week home has been an interesting one indeed....getting my wisdom teeth out yesterday (I ate pancakes and eggs and potatoes and mac&cheese and zucchini today! And I haven't taken any pain killers...just ibuprofen LIKE A BOSS) and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while watching fireworks tonight. I look like a gopher people!

Anyway I got exciting news over this past weekend and a dream of mine came true! You know how in Monsters Inc. Mike Wazowski and Sully are on the cover of a magazine but Mike's face is covered by a barcode and he says "I can't believe it....I'm on the cover of a magazine!" I got to have a similar moment! I mentioned a post or two ago that I had done an interview with a reporter from People Magazine back in April, but with tons of things going on in the news the interview kept getting pushed out. They were doing a story on Rehtaeh Parsons and wanted to put a sidebar in from a survivor who had dealt with some of the same things. I was contacted by RAINN and asked if I would be interested.  The longer the story went unpublished, the more I believed it would never get printed.  I had come to terms with that and was just grateful to have an opportunity like that.  I figured that maybe that was just a way to prepare me for something bigger in the future.

I get an email at the end of last week telling me that the story was set to go into the next issue. I didn't hold my breath.  I had gotten my hopes up before and it hadn't happened. As the deadline got closer, though, I started feeling uneasy and started to stress out over my story being shown to the world. TONS of people read People and I was afraid of who might see it. I worried that people around me would start to look at me differently, that it could affect my job and everyday life. I started to secretly pray that it would get pushed out again so I wouldn't have to deal with any possible repercussions.  Suddenly I got the email Monday afternoon that we had made the cutoff and the article would run.

I felt such a mix of emotions that I didn't really know what to do.  In one sense I was absolutely elated! What a way to get my story out and to help others.  On the other hand, I still had all of the anxieties of what people would think when they saw it.  I mean everything was in there, my name, my age, my picture. Nobody would have to guess who I was.  After thinking about it and talking it over with my parents I got excited again. This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever done in my life! Even if I never get to speak out again I can say I once spoke to a magazine in hopes that I could reach more people and tell them it does, in fact, get better.

The magazine came out today and mom bought me a copy. It's so cool! I have a small sidebar in the story of Rehtaeh, just enough to give a condensed version of my story.  Seeing that is when I had that Mike Wazowski moment!  If you are interested in seeing it it is the one with Matthew Perry on the cover. The article I was fortunate to be a part of starts on page 68.  If you don't know about Rehtaeh Parsons I suggest you read this article .  It explains what happened to her.  I felt very strongly about her story.  I had received similar treatment after my assault.  Not to that extreme, but it definitely affected me.  I hope no one ever has to go through that. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Anyway I just wanted to share that news! That issue will only be out for a week, so snag it while you can.  I can't believe I'm in a major MAGAZINE!!!!!!