In the fall of 1999, as Tom and Stacey Branchini drove their daughter to begin her freshman year at Boston University, they worried about a number of things. Did Alexa choose the right school? Would she like it there? Would she do well in her studies? Would their eighteen-year old be homesick? Ten days later, an unthinkable nightmare began. The Branchini’s received a call telling them that someone had brutally raped Alexa at knifepoint in her dormitory, and that she was taken to a Boston hospital. She had survived the attack. But her life had changed forever.

Alexa reported the attack to the police, who apprehended the rapist before he had even had a chance to leave campus. But as one of the few rape victims whose ordeal actually resulted in a trial and the conviction of her assailant, Alexa would soon learn that in fact her ordeal had just begun. Alexa faced the unpredictability of the criminal investigation and subsequent trial; a full eighteen months passed before the trial finally got under way. When it did, she had to endure endless delay tactics used by the defense to discourage the Branchini family from pursuing justice. Throughout, she remained outwardly composed. But in fact she suffered through the devastating aftermath of rape, evidenced in her never-before-experienced eating disorders, sleep disorders, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Alexa and her parents spent twenty-seven days in Boston for the trial. Alexa persevered and the man who raped her was sentenced to forty-five years in prison without parole.

In the aftermath of their daughter's ordeal, Stacey Branchini and her husband established an organization – It Happened to Alexa Foundation, Inc. (IHTAF) – to help other rape survivors and their extended networks of support (family, friends, or professionals) through the trauma. IHTAF is the only organization in the United States established expressly to provide financial aid so that the family and supporters of rape and sexual assault survivors can attend the criminal trials of their attackers. Currently, IHTAF pays up to three thousand dollars in travel-related expenses, so that no one will have to endure the difficulty of a trial without assistance.

IHTAF continues to grow by over one hundred percent each year, and, despite the volume of inquiries that the organization receives, Stacey Branchini continues to speak to as many victims as possible, working to ensure they receive all available help. Stacey accomplishes this even as she struggles with her own health problems. Yet despite all, she never falters in her cause. Stacey has proved herself an inspiration to all the victims and victim's families whom she assists.

To learn more about Stacey Branchini and her cause, and how you can make a difference, please visit: www.ithappenedtoalexa.org.

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