Daisy Coleman's Mother Speaks Out After Daughter's Rape, Suicide Attempt: 'Do Not Let the Cowards Win'
Melinda Coleman's daughter Daisy became the center of national attention when she accused a fellow student of raping her at a party. Now Melinda is going public with what she has learned from being in the spotlight and offering advice to parents possibly in similar situations.
"My children have always been the light of my life. Daisy is my heart," Melinda wrote in an essay posted to xoJane.com. "That night, on January 8, 2012, when I found her nearly passed out and dead on our front porch, and she told me that she had been raped, our lives turned upside down."
Melinda then added that she felt the media attention "has been too much at times. I'm afraid that sometimes my daughter feels like she needs to be strong for me, but as I've told her again and again: She is perfect just the way she is. She doesn't need to be any different. She just needs to be Daisy."
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Daisy has not had it easy, though. Since coming forward with her accusations, she has attempted suicide and been hospitalized. The family home was burned to the ground, and Daisy and her siblings have reported being bullied. Apparently going to a party just two years after the assault is what triggered Daisy's a suicide attempt and hospitalization. She is okay now, and making progress, Melinda noted.
"In the months since our case became the subject of widespread media scrutiny, I have seen the dark side of human nature. The entire experience triggered her in a way that I refuse to let happen again. I will not lose my daughter," Melinda explained.
"No one deserves what my daughter has been through, but I can tell any parent who is seeking to watch over their children to make sure you are protecting your children from what other people are saying to them online. Do not let the cowards win. Do not let them take your child's life," she concluded.
