An 18-year-old says no one should suffer in silence after a large crowd rallied to support her and other survivors of intimate partner violence in Brandon, Man.

About a hundred people gathered at the Brandon University campus Friday afternoon just over a week after Alexis Bukarz, a high school student from Virden, was assaulted in what her family says was an incident of intimate partner violence.

“I just feel so supported and loved,” Alexis said Friday, calling on young women to never be afraid of speaking the truth.

Brandon police said in a news release Thursday a 20-year-old man was arrested in connection to an assault on March 12.

Police said the victim, an 18-year-old woman, was taken to hospital in serious condition. The release said police believe the incident took place outside campus, but that the woman was at the university when she experienced a medical emergency.

Alexis’s mother Alison Bukarz said the assault happened at the university student parking lot. She said she was notified at around 1:30 a.m. her daughter was in the hospital and had suffered a severe seizure.

“The adrenaline just kicked in and I just went,” she said Saturday. In a social media post earlier this week, Alison said her daughter’s skull was fractured and that she also suffered from major bleeding in the brain.

The 18-year-old was airlifted to Winnipeg where she underwent brain surgery, the post said.

“I got to go on the airplane with her and I never left her side,” Alison said. “I remember asking will she survive? and they they couldn’t answer me. So she was pretty close to death.”

The mother said she was informed at the Brandon hospital the assault was believed to be an intimate partner violence incident.

She said she “knew right away” something was wrong when she was taken to a separate room away from Alexis’s boyfriend, who was also in the hospital.

‘There are survivors everywhere’

Jessica Laxdal, sexual violence education and prevention co-ordinator at Brandon University, said Friday the incident was “quite horrific.”

“We are here bringing awareness to the epidemic of intimate partner violence here in Manitoba,” Laxdal said. “We want to bring awareness to the fact that there needs to be change.”

Manitoba has the second-highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence among Canadian provinces, according to Statistics Canada data from 2022.

But the number of incidents is likely higher. According to a survey from 2019, 80 per cent of victims did not report the violence they experienced to police.

“Surrounding us, there are survivors everywhere that haven’t shared their stories,” Laxdal said. “I hope that, systematically, there is change and the the correct and right support for survivors out there.”

Rally participants wore purple to show solidarity. Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett and university leadership were in attendance.

Alison said her daughter had just gone to a doctor’s appointment before the gathering, but still wanted to met her supporters.

‘I know how hard it is to speak up’: mom

She said girls should know there’s always help, and life does get better after abuse.

“I’m a survivor of domestic violence myself. I know how hard it is to speak up, but once you finally do, it’s very freeing,” Alison said.

“It was about a year and a half of working on myself, becoming who I was before the abuse, and learning to be a mom at the same time,” she said.

“I was a single mom and I just chose to focus on [Alexis] and our life together and become a good mom.”

The 20-year-old man arrested in connection to the assault was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on April 7, police said. He’s been charged with aggravated assault.

Alison said her daughter will have to do occupational therapy and physiotherapy, but doctors still don’t know what the likelihood is of a full recovery given the nature of a traumatic brain injury.

“She’s doing really well,” Alison said. “[They] said she’s a walking miracle.”