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In nineteen ninety nine my home was broken into.
I was sleeping. It was about four thirty in the morning.
I heard my dog. He woke me up growling and his stance became more aggressive.
And I could just tell something wasn’t right, so I grabbed the mace next to my bed and held
onto it under my covers.
And it was then that I saw a man coming toward me.
There was a landing and he and he rounded the stairs, and there was a window right above
the landing. He was illuminated from behind. It was just
like a monster. All I could see was a shadow coming toward
me.
As he was going down the stairs, I was calling nine one one.
And the police were at my home, probably within thirty seconds. But he was gone.
I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and a *** kit examination was done and…
I left the hospital and went to the police station to give my initial statement… to
have a composite drawing done. and it was there that I was informed that
this man had *** approximately… or attacked approximately
fifteen women over a two year period in the Lansing area.
Following the attack I felt a complete loss of control in my life and the Crime Victims
Compensation Program empowered me and helped me to regain some of that control.
I was made aware of different resources in the community through … local community
through the state that help victims of crime. It was absolutely necessary for me to take
a substantial amount of time off of work. About a month.
The compensation program reimbursed me for a percentage of my lost income… lost wages
and a portion of my medical expenses.
Life is really really good now. I just got a masters degree in social work from MSU,
I’m attending law school and I have a fantastic career serving others that are impacted by
violent crime. It makes me feel good to know that what I
do helps others impacted by violent crime.
I wouldn’t wish my experiences on myself or anyone. I was able to turn it into something
positive in helping others… serving others that were impacted by similar experiences.
[Announcer] If you’ve been physically injured in a violent crime, call us.
The Crime Victims Compensation Program is a fantastic tool for people that are impacted
by violent crime. It benefitted me and helped me in my life.
And now working as a victim advocate I see how beneficial the program can be to other
victims.