Wendry Plus subscribers can listen to exposed, cover up at Columbia University, and free.

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Just a heads up, this episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault.

We felt it was important to include these details to understand the reality of what survivors experience,

but as you'll see, this is a story about much more than that.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault,

you're not alone and will share a list of resources at the end of the episode.

Please take care while listening.

Just after lunch one Friday afternoon,

Laurie Kaniak walked into a Columbia University medical center on the upper east side of Manhattan.

She was here for a postpartum exam. She stepped into the elevator and went up to her

obstetricians office. When it was her turn to be seen, a nurse showed her to the exam room and

took her vitals. Laurie changed into a hospital gown and waited. Her pregnancy had been considered

high risk. She was almost 40. She had previously miscarried, and her years as a professional dancer

had left her with back injuries. She wanted the best possible care. A friend of mine had worked

for years at Columbia Hospital, and she and a lot of her other friends had been patients of Dr.

Robert Hatton, and she said, hey, why don't you check him out? He's very good.

And Columbia was one of the top medical names in the country. I felt lucky that I had that hospital

carrying me through this. And now here she was six weeks after delivering a beautiful baby girl.

It was supposed to be a routine checkup. While Laurie was lying on the exam table,

scrolling through her phone and enjoying a few hours out of the house without a baby to care for,

Dr. Robert Hatton finally stepped into the room. Like he always did,

...