Christine Blasey Ford Explained How Her Many Supporters Are Helping Her Carry On

It's only been two months since her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, but before the Thanksgiving holiday, Christine Blasey Ford posted a powerful message for supporters who donated to a fundraiser for her family in the aftermath of her testimony. "Words are not adequate to thank all of you who supported me since I came forward to tell the Senate that I had been sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh" Ford wrote in an update to the GoFundMe campaign on Wednesday.

Ford testified in late September that during a small gathering in the summer of 1982, Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. After an incredibly emotional testimony, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Oct. 6 with a 50-48 vote.

Ford said the letters of support made the days after her testimony, when she received death threats, easier. "Your tremendous outpouring of support and kind letters have made it possible for us to cope with the immeasurable stress, particularly the disruption to our safety and privacy," Ford wrote.

The money donated to Ford through the GoFundMe fundraiser allowed Ford to pay for physical security and upgrade their home's security system, she wrote. "Because of your support, I feel hopeful that our lives will return to normal. The funds you have sent through GoFundMe have been a godsend," Ford wrote.

In her opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ford said she had been targeted with harassment since her name went public. "People have posted my personal information on the Internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls, and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home," she told the senators.

At the beginning of November, Ford's lawyer said the harassment didn't stop just because Kavanaugh was confirmed. "Justice Kavanaugh ascended to the Supreme Court, but the threats to Dr. Ford continue," Debra Katz, her lawyers Lisa Banks and Michael Bromwich said in a statement to NPR.

Despite the harassment, Ford told her supporters that she's "grateful" for the experience. "Although coming forward was terrifying, and caused disruption to our lives, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my civic duty," she wrote.

It gave her a new perspective of what trauma survivors go through to publicly tell their stories. "Having done so, I am in awe of the many women and men who have written me to share similar life experiences, and now have bravely shared their experience with friends and family, many for the first time," Ford said. "I send you my heartfelt love and support. I wish I could thank each and every one of you individually."

The GoFundMe paid for a wide variety of security needs for Ford's family. "We used your generous contributions to pay for a security service, which began on September 19 and has recently begun to taper off; a home security system; housing and security costs incurred in Washington, D.C., and local housing for part of the time we have been displaced," she wrote.

The fundraiser raised $647,610 after an original goal of $150,000. But Ford has decided to shutdown the fundraiser "with immense gratitude." The unused funds will be donated to "organizations that support trauma survivors," and Ford will used the GoFundMe update feature to tell supporters when the donations are complete.