Long Island Woman Shares Story Of Sexual Assault While Abroad

LINDENHURST, NY - What began as an adventure in Spain, the start of an exciting new chapter in her life, ended in horror for one young Long Island woman after she was brutally attacked.

The Lindenhurst native shared her harrowing story of being sexually assaulted while abroad and is now raising money to help not only with her own recovery — but other victims, as well.

Last moth, Andrea Sicignano posted on her Facebook page about the nightmare that unfolded one night while in Spain:

I have been living in Madrid for the last 6 months and I had a friend visiting me this past weekend. We went out for the night to see a Flamenco show. We were both drunk, and when we left the final bar we got separated. Trying to get home, I got on the wrong bus, which took me to the end of the line in an unfamiliar area.

I was the last to get off the bus; all other riders had left the stop. I sat down on the bench at the bus stop to figure out my next move. A man who had been on the bus, seeing that I was lost and upset, sat down next to me and offered me help.

I was lost at 4am, and all public transport had stopped running. I needed help and this man assured me he could help me get home.

It’s unclear exactly what happened next, but as soon as I started to realize I could be in danger, I tried to leave. But this man became forceful and violent towards me.

As I fought, he started to beat me. I was screaming and fighting with all of the power I could muster. I desperately tried to reach for my phone but he called out in Spanish, "I have your phone, you can't call anyone."

He hit me in the face over and over until I couldn’t fight anymore. I couldn’t scream anymore. I could barely see through the blood in my eyes.

I was sure he was going to kill me. Eventually I closed my eyes. With the hope that he would stop beating me, I pretended to be dead. I prayed that when I opened my eyes he would be gone. I don’t know how much time passed before I finally opened my eyes, but when I did, he had disappeared.

He raped me.

Following the tragedy, she chose to share what had happened to her through social media to spread awareness that sexual assault can happen to anyone. Her post has been shared more than 45,000 times.

"I am so incredibly lucky to be writing this right now. I am overcome with relief and even more with the feeling of a responsibility to share my story," Sicignano said. "I speak on behalf of anyone who has experienced this hell — and on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced. This story could have ended so differently. Things must change."

In addition to sharing her story, she started a fundraiser on GoFundMe with help from her family to help raise awareness of sexual assault.

According to the page, a small portion of the donations will go toward helping Sicignano with medical bills and the emergency flights that were taken; however, the rest will be donated to a group to help victims of sexual assault.

The goal is to page a total of $50,000. As of Friday, the page has raised a total of $9,570.

To read more or to donate, visit the GoFundMe page here.

Photo: Facebook.com/Andrea Sicignano