But Bethany Storro made it clear Thursday that she doesn't plan to let the attack on her this week define her future.
"I have no enemies ... I don't get it," Storro said during a news conference at the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in North Portland. "But I can't let what she did to me wreck my life. That's not fair. But in time, I'm going to forgive her."
Storro made her comments to a crowd of reporters with her parents, Nancy and Joe Neuwelt, at her side.
The 28-year-old Vancouver woman was attacked Monday evening by an unidentified woman who threw acid in her face.
Storro went from celebrating her new job and recent move to Washington from Idaho, to writhing in agony on the ground.
Wednesday night, Dr. Nick Eshraghi, a surgeon at the Burn Center, removed dead skin from the areas most deeply injured.
Thursday morning, she met with reporters for nearly 30 minutes.
Storro 2a.jpgView full sizeLegacy Emanuel HospitalBethany Storro before surgery, and after a woman threw acid in her face.
She responded to questions after reading reporters' lips. Storro said she had spinal meningitis twice as a child, which took most of her hearing.
Despite all this, she joked at how her eyesight was spared because just 20 minutes before the attack near Esther Short Park, she bought a pair of sunglasses.
"Oh my gosh -- to be hard of hearing and blind?" she said, laughing and pointing at her parents. "That would drive them nuts. They have to be in the same room for me to hear them. I'm just so glad ... it's a miracle."
She said she has received letters and e-mails from across the country and is relying on friends, family and faith to get her through.
"You can imagine how I feel," said Joe Neuwelt. "This is my little girl. We're going to get through this ... we're not going to allow this to stop our lives."
Meanwhile, Vancouver police detectives were on the streets again Thursday searching for witnesses to the attack.
"We are really focusing the investigation on the area around the shopping district where this took place," said Kim Kapp, a Vancouver police spokeswoman. "So far, we haven't found any witnesses and we have no suspects."
Storro said the woman was about 5 feet 8 inches with black hair pulled into a tight pony tail. She was African American, wearing a green top and khaki shorts. Also, Storro recalled Thursday that her attacker had three piercings on the top part of her left ear and wore no makeup.
The incident occurred about 7:40 p.m. near Columbia and West Eighth Street. Storro had just parked to get coffee at the Starbucks at 304 W. Eighth St.
She was retrieving something from her car when the woman, about the same age as Storro, walked up to her.
The woman said, "Hey, pretty girl, you want a drink of this?" before throwing a powerful acid in Storro's face.
"It was the most painful thing ever," Storro said. "My heart stopped. It ripped through my clothing the instant it touched my shirt. ... I could feel it burning through my second layer of skin."
Asked what she would say to the woman, she said her first question would be "Why?"
"I have never, ever seen this girl in my entire life," she said.
| Vancouver woman burned by acid speaks out |
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