Community comes together to support UW-Madison student who suffered brutal attack

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The community is coming together to help the UW-Madison student survivor who was brutally attacked earlier this month.

The RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center created a GoFundMe stating the student is still fighting for her life in the hospital.

Organizer Dana Pellebon said the goal is to help the survivor and her family focus on healing rather than worrying about bills during her recovery. Pellebon said crime victim insurance could eventually cover some costs, but immediately after a sexual assault or rape, it is hard for the survivor to work while they try to recover from a traumatizing event.

“This type of attack is something that is not common and the level of ferocity means that there are things that have to happen for this person. So, the community wants to make sure that this person is covered.’’

Pellebon said a group of UW-Madison students asked the RCC to start the fundraiser and these individuals did not know the survivor personally.

”This is the part of our city and our county that is miraculous,” she said. “People saw that something horrific had happened and they want to help, support.”

Pellebon also said media coverage can sometimes bring up harmful memories for other sexual assault survivors. She encourages those survivors to call their 24/7 hotline at 608-251-7273.

The GoFundMe has surpassed $16,000, as of Wednesday afternoon.

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