A medical assistant in Florida was left permanently blind in his right eye after his large dog lunged at a rabbit while he was out for a walk, requiring surgery to remove his right eye.
On August 7, 2023, Daniella Abreu, 24, and her 60-pound husky named Blue were on a night walk in their Stuart, Florida neighborhood when the dog spotted a rabbit wandering around. .
Because Blue is a large dog, Abreu used a rope leash to control him, but the regular leash became too frayed.
She decided to use an old retractable leash, but when the dog noticed the rabbit, the leash would fall off.
During the “traumatic” incident, Abreu was hit in the face with the handle of a retractable leash and began gushing blood.
“When he was running in one direction and I was pulling him in the other direction, the friction of the leash bounced off and hit me in the eye.” Abreu told People. “It happened very quickly, but I knew immediately that something was wrong. The power of the lead was very shocking.”
After the unusual incident, Abreu “went into flight or fight mode” and ran home screaming to his parents.
“My mom ran up to me first and I fell into her arms and I just turned really pale. Dad, oh my god, his face looked so frightened and scared. , she recalled.
“I obviously didn't know at that moment that even though it wasn't a life-or-death situation, I knew it was pretty tough. I lost a lot of blood and eventually passed out. ” Abreu added. “All the shocks running through my body overwhelmed the emotion.”
Abreu suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a trauma center in Fort Pierce, an hour away from his home.
The accident left him with a torn eyelid, a fracture under his eye and a detached retina.
Abreu underwent X-rays and doctors stitched up his eyelids, but the adrenaline wore off as he dealt with the excruciating aftermath of the accident.
“The pain was a 10 out of 10. It was so bad that I started crying hysterically,” she said.
Abreu underwent emergency surgery in Miami, but it was ruled that he was permanently blind in his right eye and there was no chance of him ever regaining his sight.
Abreu underwent four more surgeries, and doctors determined the severity of the damage and ultimately had his eye removed.
The newspaper said she was bedridden for the first few months, often sleeping as a means of both healing and grieving.
“I still don’t believe that’s true,” she admits. “I had to put my entire life on hold. I was a very active girl, being on a competitive dance team, working out on the side, and working a full-time job. But I basically had to take a year off from my life.”
Abreu experienced severe migraines, PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks as a result of the incident.
“The emotional and financial impact on this beautiful family is huge,” the crowdfunding campaign says.
Abreu's neighbors of more than 15 years, GoFundMeFollowing He said the funds raised could help her recover, with the hope that new medical technology could restore her eyesight.
She started seeing a therapist and after her final surgery in June, she was fitted with a prosthetic eye that will last three to five years before needing replacement.
“I basically had to relearn everything,” she said. “When you have both eyes, you get used to opening them at the same time. But my right eye was stitched together, so I had to gradually learn how to only open my left eye, which made me nervous and even more so. It caused pain.”
