Student set for 400-mile charity run after rape
Leanne Rinne/BBCA university student who was raped is set to run 400 miles in 10 days to raise money for a charity which helps survivors find support.
When Izzy White left home for university at the age of 19, she said she was excited for the future, but shortly after settling into student accommodation, her life changed forever.
She found herself on a date with someone who was "quite a bit older than they had said" and "looked a lot different to what they had described".
The former student from Groombridge, in Kent, said: "I just felt silly to back out of it and it all went really wrong. He took full advantage of me."
'I could never get clean enough'
White, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she told some of her university friends she had been raped but decided not to report it to police.
"Someone asked me if I had said 'no' and if 'I had fought hard enough' and it really made me doubt myself. A lot of shame came with that."
After the assault, White struggled to leave her student accommodation and fell behind with her studies.
"I just didn't feel like my body belonged to me, which was really the hardest thing.
"It felt like I could always feel something on me and I could never get clean enough. It drained every bit of my happiness."
Eventually, White confided in a lecturer who helped her get the support she needed from university and specialist organisations.
In July, she will be running more than 400 miles to raise money and awareness for The Survivors Trust, a UK based umbrella charity that provides support and resources to people who have experienced any form of sexual violence.
White said: "I think it's really important I raise awareness now because it could help so many people who are in a similar position to me reach some sort of peace.
"We shouldn't be afraid to speak openly about things like this."
Izzy WhiteHelen Jackson, from the charity, said: "We are so proud of Izzy for not only taking on this running challenge but also for speaking up and raising awareness of the work we do at The Survivors Trust.
"She is spreading a message of hope for survivors that if you reach out for support, and you feel believed and heard, then anything is possible."
White will graduate from university on 22 July and said she hoped to one day work for an organisation that supports victims of rape and sexual assault.
She added: "I spent a long time mourning the person I used to be, but, after support from charities and regular counselling, I've gained a whole new strength that I'm proud of and, at the time, I didn't think was possible."
- If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.
