[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
This is monumentally disturbing.
A South Carolina woman who survived a brutal attack by three pit bulls was re-sedated after waking from a coma to discover that much of her body was destroyed in the attack — including her arms and colon.
According to a GoFundMe page, Kyleen Waltman’s arms had to be amputated and her colon had to be removed after the awful attack last month. The mother-of-three may lose her esophagus, too, and she naturally didn’t take the news well after waking up from her initial coma.
Her sister Amy Wynne wrote on the page:
“Kyleen has been fully woken up and the doctors told her about her arms but, it caused her a great deal of a anxiety, so they sedated her. Her blood pressure is still very [sic] and she is running a fever of 102+ her oxygen levels keep falling so she’s back on the ventilator. Mama says it’s like she’s giving up. Before ya’ll go assuming we as her family are not giving up. The lord has brought her this far for a reason. Her story is not done.”
The page explained that doctors had been planning to give Kyleen prosthetic limbs, but they were forced to remove the prosthetics after the stumps of what was left of her arms became infected, right up to the shoulder.
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Unfortunately, this means the 38-year-old can’t ever be given artificial limbs. Her sister continued:
“So here we are trying to figure out how to keep her from thinking negative thoughts about her life. I understand that for 38 years she’s had arms and now she doesn’t, how she’s thinking. She’s still fighting. Prayers are working and slowly she healing.”
The tragic incident occurred on the morning of Monday, March 21, when Kyleen was walking to her mom’s house in the small town of Honea Path. On the way there, she was suddenly attacked by three dogs — two purebred pit bulls and a pit bull mix.
Her best friend Tanya Gilmer told WSPA:
“She was walking home from her boyfriend’s house to her momma’s, and as far as I know, the dogs just jumped on her and you can actually see in the road if you go down there, where she fought the dog, trying to fight them off. They pretty much ripped all the meat from her arms, and she has a hole in the back of her head.”
Utterly horrifying.
Tayna continued:
“She has lost her colon. She’s lost both of her arms. She’s going to have to lose her esophagus, and they did save her legs. I’m still in shock of it. The pictures of her tore my heart to pieces, but regardless, she’s still the same beautiful Kyleen to me. She’ll always be the same beautiful Kyleen to me.”
Kyleen was saved by farmer Avery Presley, who was driving his tractor along Ball Road on the way to feed his cows when he came upon the vicious scene of the dogs ripping at something with their teeth. Two of the dogs left as he approached, but the third came towards him. He fired his gun in the air, and it scurried off as well. It was only then when he realized the dogs had been eating a human.
Per The State, the owner of the dogs, Justin L. Minor, was arrested on March 23 and charged with three counts of owning a dangerous animal that attacked and injured a human, rabies control violation, and dangerous animal not permitted beyond premises unless restrained. He was released on a $15,000 surety bond.
Minor’s three dogs were seized by animal control, along with three other dogs from his property. His cousin and neighbor Benjamin Alewine told the Index-Journal that Minor has a habit of taking in strays, adding that he himself is afraid to walk past the property, and carries a PVC pipe for protection when he does.
Even though he knew the victim for 25 years, Alewine said he didn’t even recognize her because of her injuries. He shared:
“We didn’t know who she was until the deputies arrived and pulled out her license. I came back to the house crying… She was nice to everyone. She’ll pull through it. It’ll be hard for her. She’s a fighter.”
We know taking in strays might seem like a positive thing, but no one should keep animals they can’t control. It’s not good for them or safe for others.
Our hearts go out to the victim as she learns how to cope with this devastating turn of events.
[Image via GoFundMe]
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