Harper, a young woman in her early 20s stands before us very anxious. It is difficult for her to focus at times and her presence is also awkward. It takes a moment for her to share with us that she is in recovery. She was not an alcoholic nor was she addicted to any type of a drug but rather she is in recovery from being sexually assaulted by someone close to her that she trusted. Harper is a gymnast. She was living out her dream and working towards maintaining her college scholarship when something started happening to her that she couldn't put into words. But she also didn't feel like she had the power to say no so, she stayed silent. She put all of her energy into her work and didn't address the trauma that she was experiencing.

There's something to be said about feeling like you are standing on an island all by yourself with no one to talk to and no one to help you. This is a difficult story of what has and could happen to someone who experiences repeated trauma in their lives and fights to regain their voice. When she decides to say "no" her power floods back into her like a forceful river, but the recovery affects her for a lifetime. It is also a story of strength because Harper eventually realizes that what was happening to her was wrong and that she could speak out, and when she did people listened. Sometimes being a voice for yourself and others and being heard by all is the greatest gift that we all have but may not know it until we use it.