A 71-year-old woman in Maine prayed to God after she was attacked by a pit bull two months ago.
And on Wednesday, great-grandmother Connie Veilleux of Lewiston shared her miraculous story with the local news.
“I just kept struggling and struggling,” she told WGME. “Said, ‘This dog is not going to take my life. No way.’”
She said she was raking leaves when her neighbor’s dog came out of nowhere and knocked her to the ground, and went in and out of consciousness until someone heard her cries for help.
A police officer ended the attack by fatally shooting the dog and assuring Veilleux she would be okay.
“Before I passed out again, I just prayed,” Veilleux told Fox 23. “I wasn’t afraid of dying. I didn’t think I was going to die. But I asked God to guide the minds and the hands of the surgeons, because I knew. I didn’t look at my arms, but I knew they were a mess.”
The orthopedic surgeon who worked on her said she probably wouldn’t have survived if she didn’t fight for her life using her forearms, which were left mangled.
Although Villeux is no longer able to carry stacks of wood, the great-grandmother told the CBS affiliate: “I’m just thankful that I’m alive. I have a lot to be thankful for.”
Caleb Parke is the managing editor for ToddStarnes.com. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.