When she called a hotline to report abuse, the voice on the other end offered hope

Editor's note: The following story deals with the topic of sexual abuse.

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

One day in 2001, Nora Durkin decided she had to tell someone about a secret she'd been carrying for more than a decade. When she was a child, Durkin says, she was sexually abused.

She picked up the phone and called 311, the nonemergency number in many communities across the U.S.

“And I am anticipating that the person on the other end is going to have the most negative, underdeveloped response, because that's what I was used to,” Durkin said.

Instead, when she told the operator her story, the woman gave her the affirmation she had needed for years. 

“Her response right away was, ‘Oh honey, that's horrible. Tell me what happened,’” Durkin recalled.

“And then I'm like, ‘Yeah, this is terrible. This was terrible. You're right.’ So it was like validation just pouring from the other end.”

As they talked, Durkin asked the woman what she should do next. The operator told her to file a police report, which she did. The statute of limitations had run out on her claim, but she says that being able to take action brought her a measure of peace.

Today, Durkin is a therapist — a profession, she says, that allows her to use her traumatic experience to help others.

"I get to be for them who this woman was for me,” said Durkin. “And it's really incredible to take that suffering and turn it into something so meaningful.”

If that operator could hear her now, Durkin would thank her for believing her when no one else would.

“I have held onto her in my memory for over 20 years. And I am eternally grateful for this gift that she gave me that day.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can receive free, confidential support by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE.

My Unsung Hero is also a podcast — new episodes are released every Tuesday. To share the story of your unsung hero with the Hidden Brain team, record a voice memo on your phone and send it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.