SUCCESS STORIES
Predators Survivor Hero
Our Predators Survivor Hero award goes out this month to Patricia Wenskunas. On April 4, 2002, Patricia was brutally attacked at her home. The man who beat her was a personal trainer from the fitness club that Patricia had joined.
During the past several months before this attack, Patricia had become friends with the personal trainer. When he came to her home on April 4, 2002 he offered a pill that would help Patricia with weight loss. Shortly after taking the pill, she woke up to the horror of her personal trainer beating her. He wrapped Patricia's head with plastic wrap and a towel making it near impossible for her to breath. He told Patricia that he was going to kill her and her son. Patricia, a single mom, was desperate to save herself and her son. She managed to escape the attacker by jumping 12 feet from a balcony.
July 2004, the personal trainer was convicted of Assault with A Deadly Weapon and Criminal Threat. Amazingly, he only served 5 months of jail time!
Patricia said she has learned a lot about herself and the court system throughout this process. She said that if she could pass along wisdom to others it would be to "trust your gut and never let others convince you to doubt what you know is the truth." She also states that people that are victimized need to accept help. Through counseling and the support of her friends, Patricia was able to work through the pain of this ordeal to find healing.
Since the conviction, Patricia has moved forward in her life to try and make a difference for others. She started http://www.crimesurvivors.com/ a non-profit organization for victims of crime. She also developed a CS Awareness Pin. Crime Survivors has their third annual walk/run scheduled in October. Predators contributors Dr. Eric Hickey and Denise Brown are among the special guests to appear.
Patricia recently told us that she "continues to help other survivors survive and that is the ultimate reward-knowing what I experienced was for a much higher purpose." Patricia is a true example of a Predators Survivor Hero.
Success story courtesy of Predators Newsletter
