TOPEKA (KSNT) — While recovering from serious facial injuries sustained after a dog attack in July, a Topeka woman reflected on the mental challenges following the attack.
Audrey Suarez was pregnant with twins when she was attacked July 17 at an apartment complex in east Topeka. Suarez said she was walking to a relative’s home when two dogs attacked her during an altercation involving other people. Suarez said the attack changed her life.
“I was able to call my fiancée and tell him, [to] come help me that I’m bleeding,” Suarez said.
Suarez underwent ten hours of reconstructive surgery on her face, followed by nearly four hours of surgery on her eye in Kansas City, according to her account of the recovery. Beyond her physical injuries, Suarez said she is struggling with the emotional effects of the attack, including the feeling when people stare at her and experiencing fear around large dogs.
“I’m tired of people staring at me. I’m tired of just being stared at,” Suarez said.
Suarez said the twins were born 30 weeks in, and that the babies were making progress in the hospital but still needed respiratory support. During the attack, Suarez said her main concern was protecting her unborn children.
“When I got attacked, I was more worried about my babies than myself,” she said.
Now, Suarez is working toward recovery while preparing to care for her twins and bringing them home. She said she has been unable to return to work, and noting financial challenges her family is facing. Suarez also said she has additional surgeries planned for December, despite not being able to work.
Suarez does not blame the dog, but believes owners have a responsibility to raise and train their animals.
“I don’t blame the dog because I love dogs,” Suarez said. “It’s how you raised a dog, and it’s how you trained a dog.”
A GoFundMe for Suarez has garnered over 200 donations as of October 5. For more information about the GoFundMe for Suarez’s recovery, you can click here.
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