As we head into Summer, we bask in the sun, spend time with our family and get ready to enjoy the holiday spirit. Sadly, for many young people it may be a difficult time managing family expectations, avoiding triggers and trying to stay off the streets. Koda’s story is that of strength and resilience, where she was able to take herself out a dark place with the right support.
Koda was happy at university, she was working part-time, passionate about her studies and had great friends, yet lived with the hidden pain of trauma and abuse. After being sexually assaulted at a young age, the pressures of her trauma and abuse took a hold of her. Despite her outside world looking stable and healthy, Koda found herself drinking every day to escape her pain yet yearning for good support. Unaware of how it affected those closest to her, she soon found herself without friends, unemployed and completely dependent on alcohol. Koda has gone down a road she was afraid she couldn’t escape. At such a young age, she was alone, unhealthy and struggling to process her trauma.