Dear Dakota,

You should NEVER EVER apologize for sharing your story. You did not upset my day. Not at all. This wasn’t your fault, and you are not to blame for sharing your story. The reason I couldn’t continue reading your story is because I have a sister and I just couldn’t stop thinking about — what if this was her? What would I have done? What would my family have undergone?

And then I thought about you — you went through this entire ordeal, and yet here you are sharing it with us. You are SO INCREDIBLY strong!

Part of me is so relieved that you’re here, and you’re safe now and part of me is incredibly proud of you for standing up and flipping everybody off who says “keep it to yourself, survivor.” But part of me is also fearful of learning what that man did to you and what horrors he unleashed on you.

So I’m glad you’re sharing your story. Whether it was 1 day or 97 days, nobody has the right to tell you what to say or how to behave except you, yourself. Just know that I got your back. 👍

In the meantime, here’s Rachel Platten and her fight song:

Best,

Hamza