She set up the A Part of Me Project, which uses portrait photography and written narratives to tell the stories of people living with such conditions. Now a year on, the Riccarton resident is showcasing the stories and inspiring people she has met, and has bravely spoken out about what inspired her to start the project.
As a young woman growing up in Israel in the 1990s, Epicorus was taught when it came to intimacy, "silence is a sign of consent". Sexual harassment and assault were common and she says no one ever took the time to teach her how to say no.
The "grey area" between what consensual sex and sexual assault were defined as was a major problem, and from a young age Epicorus found herself in difficult situations. She also grew up at a time when the Israeli song When You Say No What Do You Mean? and sayings such as "she wants it, she just doesn't know it yet" were rampant and spoken without a second thought.
Of her own experiences as a teenager, Epicorus said: "I would freeze. Even when I tried to say no, people are very persistent. There were so many incidents throughout the years where I would try and brush it off."
It was nearly a decade before she addressed the sexual assault and harassment she suffered as a teen - and faced the psychological impacts that went with it.
Epicorus, now an office administrator at the New Zealand Aids Foundation in the central city, believes a combination of reasons contributed to why she did not face what happened to her earlier.
"I think it is difficult to admit those things had happened. A lot of the time I thought it was harassment but as soon as people touch you it is assault".
It wasn't until she was 24 that she had the support around her to help her through.
The first sexual assault against her occurred when she was 12-years-old.
"I didn't know how to cope with it, I didn't think of going to the police".
But when she was 24 and living in Tel Aviv she began to have a "nagging feeling" to go back and visit her hometown of Ganei Tikva.
"I asked a friend to take me and we went to a park where I used to spend my teenage nights."
In what was a "Pandora box moment", everything Epicorus had been through came rushing back.
Like the flick of a light switch, having sex became painful and stressful.
By the time Mx Epicorus moved to New Zealand in 2015 aged 29, she had stopped completely.
"I was terrified."
"The problem for me was it did not make sense why it didn't have any effect on me for a decade and all of a sudden it did," Epicorus said.
But one day, while scrolling through her Facebook feed, she came across an online post about a woman who had been through rape.
The woman had similar symptoms to Epicorus - she was okay before she began to have the same problems and needed to work through her challenges with her partner.
She said hearing from somebody who was going through something similar to her was very powerful and inspiring.
An idea soon began to form in her head to start a project aiming to break the stigma around people in the city living with physical and mental illnesses.
Epicorus' hope was to alleviate the feeling of loneliness many people have when living with a condition.
The urgency to start such a project was heightened in 2018 when her father's best friend died of a suspected suicide.
"It really broke my heart. With his difficult situation, I thought, if the doctors were more aware of his condition and how to treat it, if his family knew how serious it was...we didn't have to lose him," Epicorus said.
"I thought if this project could reach one person that will read a story and see there is another way out then that is good enough for me," Epicorus said.
The project uses portrait photography and written narratives to tell a person's story.
Epicorus' core role behind the project is to interview, photograph and write the stories of each participant, while fellow participant Fiona Tate Wordcaster edits the stories.
On Thursday, January 30, they will showcase some of the work at One Year of Stories, which will feature some of the speakers profiled as part of the project.
Epicorus said the most common issues people she interviews share is loneliness, doctors not treating them well and not being listened to.
"One of the most common things people will say to me is they feel listened to for the first time. For me, I am so happy I have been able to help them but I am also sad because it means nobody else listened."
Epicorus said one of the best stories she covered was about a man diagnosed with craniopharyngioma (a type of brain tumour) at 14.
The doctors were not given long to operate and he was given a month to live.
He surpassed his doctor's expectations but the brain tumour affected many aspects of his life.
When he was 17 another brain tumour was discovered.
But after his initial shock, the man changed his attitude and became more positive as the second brain tumour was the size of a thumbnail. He went through 12 weeks of stereotactic radiotherapy in Dunedin, five days a week.
While the 30-year-old noticed some people would treat him differently and he had to work some low-skill jobs, he is now a teacher aid and feels fortunate to be able to make others lives better.
"What is amazing about his story is he survived two tumours. His attitude - he could have been bitter but he is the other way round. He brushes off the negative people and embraces the supportive people around him," Epicorus said.
As for her own story, almost three years ago Epicorus found herself a kind and respectful partner.
"In the beginning when he was interested I told him I wasn't ready for anything really. A lot of guys wouldn't wait. He not only waited but waited without expectation.
"If I had said I just wanted to be friends he would have respected that. To me, it showed that he is patient," Epicorus said.
One Year of Stories will be held at Halo Venue on January 30. For more information go to the A Part of Me Project Facebook page.
Where to get help:
Rape Crisis NZ: 0800 883300 or click here for local branch details
Sexual Assault Support Services Canterbury (SASSC): 24/7 call: (03) 377 5402
