Canadian best-selling author Melissa McCormick made a visit to Borderland to share her story of survival
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time took a life-changing turn of events for Melissa McCormick 36 years ago.
After a night out with friends in Detroit, Mich., the Windsor, Ontario, native was brutally gang raped, robbed at gunpoint, and kidnapped, after a flat tire left her stranded along a Detroit freeway. Luckily, the then-teenager was able to escape.
“I remember running towards the road screaming for help, but nobody stopped to help me,” McCormick told a group of community members Thursday.
Friends Against Abuse brought McCormick to Borderland to share her story in light of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In the years since her near-death encounter, McCormick has overcome being a victim of such a horrific crime and turned her story into a Canadian best-selling book “The Queen’s Daughter.”
“The book got its title because the men who raped me knew I was from Canada and thought I was the queen’s daughter,” McCormick explained.
McCormick’s self-published book describes, in detail, the assault and the aftermath of being a rape victim.
“The aftermath of trauma is the hardest thing to go through,” McCormick said. “I felt lost — I wanted to die.”
Following her attack, McCormick worked closely with the Detroit police, she said, and the perpetrators were brought to justice — three of the men still remain incarcerated.
In the years since she became a victim of sexual assault, McCormick has been spreading her message to the world in hopes of preventing such an attack from happening to anyone else, and being the voice of strength and courage for other victims.
“Women need to stand up for themselves,” she instructed. “Girls need to be stronger than they are.”
McCormick’s story attracted Toronto filmmaker Scott Scheirich, who produced a short film, “Determined” based on McCormick’s book. McCormick added that movie rights have been secured and her story will soon become a feature film shown in theaters.
“In light of what happened, I have very little fear,” McCormick concluded. “What is there to fear? I fear the guy who tries to attack me again.”
For more information on McCormick, or to purchase “The Queen’s Daughter,” visit www.queensdaughter.net.
