Thanks!

I was lucky to have the victim assistance unit on my side, the detective in charge of the case was there to offer advice and convince me that any form of communication with the accused would only make things worse and it was best for my safety and well being not to let him have any foothold in my life. They were very supportive, always offering advice and encouragement, and were there with open doors during a nightmare.

When a letter came addressed to me from jail, I had a difficult time not responding since it completely put me back into a place of feeling sorry for the accused and worrying only about him, forgetting completely about me. Again, the police department with its open doors offered me the support to see things clearly and not do what I was convinced I needed to do, but what would have been the worst possible thing to do.

Finally friends and family were amazing supports. When the accused was on the run from the police and I was in hiding at a friends house, they were there for me with open arms and non-judgmental support. Their conditions were that I not have any communication with him while under their roof, reasonable though hard at the time, and in hindsight, a life-saver. I also was told I needed to look into counseling, which ended up being another life-saver to help make sense of the trauma.

If you had asked me before I was ready to make a statement, to get up on that stand and testify, or to even sit with the crown to tell him my story, I may have had the same problem as Noelle. It was honestly only with time and support that allowed me to filter out the poison and think clearly once again. Because of that, I was able to stand strong, and do what needed to be done…sadly many woman have not experienced the same happy ending.