New Jersey woman survives stabbing during home invasion | Forensic Files

I'm backing into my kitchen we're face to face it didn't register to me that he was
actually going to stab me for Donna unshako being attacked with a knife during a home invasion was something
that would have never occurred to her Donna lived in a quiet Farmhouse with her daughter Kirsten in Colts Neck New
Jersey I was new into Major Crimes I didn't have the experience at some of the older
detectives so I had never seen that much blood and before Donna's life changed on
4th of July weekend in 2013. she was drifting off to sleep when she was awakened by someone trying to break into
her home the attacker slashed Donna once on the cheek and three times on the side
of the neck before she collapsed to the floor I was in fetal position and I'm bleeding
and he came over and it was kind of like he was playing you know with the knife and just started jabbing at me so that's
when he caught me here um and he got me in the back of my neck here after grabbing Donna's purse the
attacker returned one last time he said you dead and plunged the knife into my chest once he plunges the
knife in and then removes it what does he do then he just walked out the door Donna was
miraculously able to reach her cell phone to call 9-1-1 I lost in in total close to three quarters of the blood in
my body there's no earthly reason why I'm alive none surgery was seven hours I believe trauma surgeons saved on his
life but at a tremendous cost I pretty much looked like a living cadaver I had 37 Stitches on my face and neck 38
Staples in my chest seven stitches in my hand and now internally my sternum is wired shut
and that final stab to Donna's chest right before the attacker left it missed my heart by the edge of a dime
is what I remember them telling me Kirsten recalls as soon as her mother was able to talk she had one simple
request I remember her saying all I smell is this blood in my hair can somebody please wash my hair
Donna's friend Sharon sharp and two of Donna's family members did their best to wash her hair as she lay in the hospital
but Donna's hair was the least of her concerns she was sure her attacker would find her and finish the job
she was convinced that he was in the hospital and we kept telling her no you're here under an alias I survived I
stood face to face with him I could 100 percent positively identify him he's coming back for me she was released
from the hospital four days after the attack it's an amazing thing you were out in four days
but as you leave the hospital you are also walking back into a world where whoever did this to you is still
out there right but also I wasn't going back to the farm I wasn't going back to my house
no there was no way in addition to her physical recovery Donna had to search for normalcy in her
everyday life I lost everything that night I lost my home had nowhere to go I lost my car
they took it into evidence Donna you lost more than half your blood I exactly I lost I lost a lot
Donna would soon face other challenges symptoms a PTSD started to show up I'm not eating I'm not sleeping I don't care
about anything I'm angry I'm sad I'm happy I'm you know every emotion Under the Sun at any minute I felt like I was
going crazy I was always thinking I don't know who this kid is but he climbed through the window in that
second that I fell asleep and now he's hiding in the closet you know kind of crazy thoughts Sharon says Donna's fear
meant even friendly visits required a new protocol including announcing her arrival every step of the way so as not
to trigger Donna I'm gonna come around the hedges now and I'm going to enter the backyard I'm going to be touching
the gate in three two one I would shake my keys first which had bells on them say it's me Sharon I'm coming Donna had
found PTSD in domestic violence support groups but she says there were none for the victims of random attacks so in 2015
she decided to create a her own survivors of violent crimes reason we took to the support group was to help
each other cope Donna connected with fellow survivors Tiffany Ott and Dana Richards they held meetings and felt
gratified they could help when more survivors join they are finding relief and knowing that they're not alone
Donna says the physical scars that remain are a reminder of the surgeons who saved her life this is artwork
they're beautiful artwork you could either get sucked into the darkness or you just keep going

Donna Ongsiako was getting ready to go to bed in her farmhouse in Colts Neck, New Jersey, when an intruder broke into her home and stabbed her repeatedly. Miraculously, she survived. She sat down with "48 Hours" to discuss her extremely difficult recovery.

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Brief Summary

Donna Unshako shares her survival story after a violent home invasion and her journey to help other survivors cope with trauma.

Key points

A Night of Terror. Donna was attacked in her home, suffering life-threatening injuries.
Surviving the Attack. Despite severe injuries, Donna survived a brutal stabbing.
Creating a Support Network. Donna founded a support group for survivors of violent crimes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I lost close to three quarters of the blood in my body.

Donna's near-fatal injury during the attack.

1:23WatchMay 20, 2023

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