I SURVIVED: I Know That I'm Probably Going to Die

Summary

Cold Case Files: "I SURVIVED: I Know That I'm Probably Going to Die"

Host: Paula Barros
Release Date: January 25, 2025
Description: This episode of Cold Case Files delves deep into three harrowing survival stories, each showcasing the resilience and courage of individuals who faced life-threatening situations. Hosted by Paula Barros, the episode highlights the psychological and physical challenges endured by survivors of a hijacking, a shark attack, and a brutal home invasion.

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Introduction

In the latest episode of Cold Case Files, Paula Barros presents three compelling survival narratives that defy the odds. Each story not only recounts terrifying moments but also explores the aftermath and long-term impacts on the survivors. The episode is a poignant reminder of human endurance and the will to survive against unimaginable odds.

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Jackie's Nightmare: Surviving a Deadly Hijacking

Timestamp: [00:40] - [19:15]

Jackie recounts her harrowing experience aboard Egypt Air Flight 648 in November 1985. As the plane climbed to cruising altitude, a group of hijackers, identified as five revolutionaries, seized control, leading to chaos and violence.

Key Events:

• Initial Hijacking: Jackie describes the sudden shift from a routine flight to a life-threatening situation when hijackers armed with guns and grenades take over the aircraft. She notes, “I thought, oh my goodness, we’re being hijacked” ([02:35]).

• Gun Battle and Passenger Reactions: An undercover sky marshal initiates a shootout, resulting in injuries and panic among passengers. Jackie observes, “The hijacker went down and shot her again and again and again until she didn’t move anymore” ([07:16]).

• Nose Dive and Depressurization: The plane begins to lose altitude and pressure due to bullet holes in the fuselage, leading to the release of oxygen masks. Jackie shares the terror of seeing mothers clutching their children, fearing imminent death ([04:42]).

• Personal Confrontation and Survival: When it’s her turn, Jackie faces the lead hijacker, Omar Mohammed Rezak. Despite her fear, she attempts to remain calm, saying, “It’ll be okay. It’s all going to be okay” ([09:56]). She is shot in the head, an experience she describes as feeling like her “brain had just exploded” ([15:29]).

• Miraculous Rescue: Believing she’s been fatally wounded, Jackie plays dead only to discover medics had boarded the plane, leading to her eventual rescue ([15:33]). The hijacking concludes with Egyptian commandos storming the plane, resulting in 59 fatalities, including Jackie’s attacker, who survives and is sentenced to life imprisonment ([18:13]).

Aftermath: Jackie suffers from impaired vision, memory loss, and emotional trauma but emerges with a profound life lesson: “Living with no regrets” ([18:30]). She emphasizes the importance of expressing love to loved ones daily, crediting her survival to not being “ready to go” yet.

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Todd’s Battle: Escaping a Deadly Shark Attack

Timestamp: [22:10] - [31:33]

Todd narrates his terrifying encounter with a great white shark while surfing at Marina State Park in Monterey, California, in August 2007. What began as a serene surfing session swiftly turned into a fight for survival.

Key Events:

• The Attack: While paddling back after catching a wave, Todd is violently struck by a shark, resulting in severe injuries as the shark bites down on his leg ([22:38]). He describes the instinctive fight response, repeatedly hitting the shark’s head to free himself ([24:02]).

• Dolphin Intervention: Just when hope seems lost, a pod of dolphins arrives, forming a protective barrier between Todd and the shark. Their aggressive behavior distracts the shark, allowing Todd a chance to escape ([26:15]).

• Critical Injuries and Rescue: With his back ripped open and leg severely lacerated, Todd struggles to swim back to shore. His friend Joe Jansen assists him, but Todd is in critical condition, having lost 50% of his blood by the time he reaches the beach ([29:09]). Medical professionals conduct a seven-hour surgery to repair his extensive injuries ([30:17]).

Aftermath: Todd credits his survival to both his friends’ quick actions and the timely intervention of the dolphins. Although he returned to surfing six weeks later, the psychological scars remain, limiting his confidence and reach in the water ([31:07]).

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Stephanie’s Ordeal: Surviving a Brutal Home Invasion

Timestamp: [32:06] - [41:07]

Stephanie shares her traumatic experience of surviving a violent home invasion in June 1993. As a single parent in Cincinnati, Ohio, Stephanie became the target of her neighbor, Lou, who brutally attacked her in the middle of the night.

Key Events:

• The Attack: Stephanie wakes to find Lou in her doorway, leading to a violent confrontation where she is repeatedly strangled and raped while her three-year-old son is present ([32:25] - [35:15]). The ordeal lasts five agonizing hours, during which her son instinctively defends her by attacking the assailant ([37:23]).

• Moment of Clarity and Escape: As Stephanie regains consciousness, she finds her attacker gone. Bloodied and disoriented, she navigates through her disheveled home, managing to escape despite severe injuries ([37:58]). Her attempts to seek help are thwarted until she finally reaches a convenience store and is able to call 911 ([39:07]).

• Legal Resolution: Lou is convicted of rape, attempted murder, and burglary, receiving a 10 to 25-year sentence, of which he serves 13 years ([40:29]). Despite his imprisonment, Stephanie grapples with the lasting emotional impact, especially concerning her now-teenage son ([40:57]).

Aftermath: Stephanie reflects on the profound loss and trauma inflicted by the attack, stating, “He stole my youth. He stole my dreams” ([40:42]). She also expresses concern for her son’s emotional well-being, acknowledging the enduring sadness that both she and her child carry ([40:57]).

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Key Insights and Conclusions

Through these harrowing narratives, Cold Case Files underscores the fragility of human life and the extraordinary capacity for survival. Jackie’s resilience in the face of a deadly hijacking, Todd’s fight for his life against a great white shark, and Stephanie’s endurance through a brutal home invasion each highlight different facets of human strength and the will to survive.

Common Themes:

• Survival Instinct: Each survivor tapped into a deep-seated instinct to stay alive, whether through strategic thinking, physical resistance, or sheer willpower.
• The Role of Others: Support systems, whether in the form of a sky marshal, fellow passengers, dolphins, friends, or even a child, played crucial roles in their survival.
• Long-term Impact: The physical and psychological scars left by these events are evident, emphasizing that survival often comes with ongoing challenges.

Final Reflections: Paula Barros concludes the episode by reflecting on the importance of resilience and the human spirit. The survivors’ stories serve as powerful reminders of what individuals can endure and overcome, even in the bleakest circumstances.

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Notable Quotes

• Jackie:

  • “Living with no regrets. There is not a day that goes by that by the end of the day, I make sure I say to the loved ones that are in my life that I love them.” ([18:30])

• Todd:

  • “I didn't feel pain. Your body shuts off that mechanism of pain.” ([25:21])
  • “I think the shark would have eaten me if the dolphins hadn't distracted or hurt him.” ([31:00])

• Stephanie:

  • “He stole my youth. He stole my dreams. He gets to live his life, and I don't get to live my life.” ([40:42])
  • “That's extremely tough. Very tough. Because he, although he was young and I, you know, he may not recall all that, but I believe there's a sadness.” ([40:57])

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Conclusion

"I SURVIVED: I Know That I'm Probably Going to Die" is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. Through the stories of Jackie, Todd, and Stephanie, Cold Case Files provides an unflinching look at the darkest moments individuals can face and the incredible strength required to overcome them. These narratives not only honor the survivors' experiences but also offer inspiration and insight into the complexities of survival and healing.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Taxact knows filing your taxes can be.

[Jackie]

Complicated, and that's why we have live experts to help you with any questions.

[Narrator]

They can hold your hand through the process, beginning to end, metaphorically, of course. I mean, they can't actually hold your hand in person.

[Jackie]

I suppose you could hold your computer mouse while you chat with the expert.

[Narrator]

About capital gains or whatever, which is sort of like holding hands.

[Jackie]

Sorry.

[Narrator]

Point is, our tax experts can make filing easier.

[Jackie]

Tax Act. Let's get them over with.

[Narrator]

This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Jackie]

The hijacker went down and shot her again and again and again until she didn't move anymore.

[Todd]

Real people I had caught a glimpse of what had just thrown me that far, and it was a great white shark, and I knew that I was.

[Narrator]

In for it, who faced death.

[Stephanie]

Just as I was falling asleep, I felt something jump on me and start choking me, start strangling me, and live to tell how.

[Jackie]

Now I'm on my back playing dead even though they know I'm alive. And I kept thinking to myself, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

[Narrator]

This is I survived. It's November 1985 in Athens, Greece. Jackie boards Egypt Air Flight 648 to return to Cairo, where she teaches.

[Jackie]

I found my seat, which was in the middle of the aircraft. It's an aisle seat. And there was a flight attendant that came toward me and she poked the man in front and she said, is this briefcase yours? And she's pointing to the briefcase that is on the floor, leaning up against the seat right across the way from me. And the man that was sitting in the seat right beside me across the aisle, he yells at her in a voice that's a little bit frightening, a little bit, like, unnecessary. And he said to the flight attendant, no, it's not his. Leave it alone. And she said, well, whosever it is, you need to put it in the seat in front of you before we take off. The man who owned it came from the bathroom and walked straight ahead, picked up the briefcase and put it in the seat in front of him.

[Narrator]

With 98 passengers on board, the plane took off and climbed for 10 minutes.

[Jackie]

I felt something hit me from the left side, as if someone was standing up and somebody tripped. And there was the man who owned that briefcase, and he was standing in the aisle and he was holding guns and grenades. I put my head into my hands and I thought, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, we're being hijacked. The flight attendant eventually came on and she said, we were being hijacked by the Egypt revolution, and if you do what you were told, you will not get hurt. And then I felt something hit me on my head to the left. And one of the hijackers had bent over and he had hit me with his gun on my head. And he looked down at me and he said, are you scared, lady? I just couldn't believe it. I was 30 years old, and I just thought I had all the time in the world to do all the things I wanted to do. And I got this idea to pay attention to detail. And I looked at the two hijackers that seemed to be in charge, and I paid attention to what they were wearing, what their facial features looked like, because if I got out of this, I needed to be able to describe who they were. And the hijackers, there turned out to be five total, started to take our passports one by one.

[Narrator]

The passengers were unaware there was an armed sky marshal on the plane.

[Jackie]

When it was the armed undercover sky marshal's turn to give up his passport, he stands up and puts his hand inside his coat pocket as if to release his passport, but pulls out a gun. And as soon as he shot at this hijacker, all the other hijackers start shooting at him. During the gun battle, there were several people that were injured, and some people were crying. All of a sudden, the plane drops in the air. We just drop.

[Narrator]

The bullets had pierced the fuselage of the plane, causing it to lose pressure.

[Jackie]

Mothers. I was watching the mothers, and they were holding their children as if it were for the last time. As soon as we drop, we start to take a nose dive. And I thought we were gonna die just by that. And as we're nosediving, we are also depressurizing.

[Narrator]

The plane's oxygen masks were released.

[Jackie]

Babies were crying because they were suffocating. And so it was very chaotic trying to get the oxygen mask to work. And the dropping in the sky was a direct result of the bullets hitting the aircraft. But the nose diving, I found out, was a direct result of the pilot doing that on purpose so he could get us down to a lower altitude so we could breathe without our mask.

[Narrator]

The sky marshal and one hijacker had died in the gun battle. Then the hijackers made the passengers move seats.

[Jackie]

That's when I met the first American, and that was Scarlet Rokenkamp. I was on the aisle, and Scarlet was in the middle, and there was an Australian man over by the window. The hijackers would. Every once in a while, they talk I heard Libya. Beirut's Libya. I kept hearing those two. And I was thinking, oh, I don't want to go there. Please, I don't want to go there.

[Narrator]

Almost six hours after takeoff, the plane suddenly landed.

[Jackie]

People were whispering to one another, and someone said, I think we're in Malta. And I thought, malta? Where in the heck is Malta?

[Narrator]

Malta is an Island Republic, 61 miles off the coast of Sicily.

[Jackie]

It seemed like we were there for about 45 minutes before anything happened. The hijacker comes out of the cockpit, and they start to release some people that were injured. Not very many, but a few. And the hijacker yells out, nitson Mendelssohn. Well, she's one of the Israeli women and that was on board. And she thought because everyone was being released, she was also being released. So she came up just fine. She walked up, and she had her purse with her, and she was going out the aircraft. And the hijacker takes a gun and shoots her in the head. She falls to the ground, and he pushes her out the staircase. The Australian man that was sitting in that row, I saw him look out the window, and he says, she's moving. And when she started to move, I was thinking, don't move, don't move. Just be still, be still. The hijacker went down and shot her again and again and again until she didn't move anymore. And then we waited about 15 minutes, and he hollered out the next Israeli woman's name, Tamar Artsy. The other hijackers came for her and brought her to the front, and she was kicking and screaming because she know, she knew it was happening again. We heard the gunshot, and then we heard the body hitting the staircase and hitting the tarmac. On the ground, you know, inside the aircraft, we were gasping. We just couldn't believe it. And I was thinking at that time, I thought, is anyone out there? Is anyone paying attention to us?

[Narrator]

Negotiations to refuel the plane have started.

[Jackie]

We figured out as the time went on that they were waiting 15 minutes, and if their demands were not met, they came and shot someone.

[Narrator]

Jackie was sitting next to an American woman named Scarlett Rogenkamp.

[Jackie]

Fifteen minutes after the Israeli woman had been shot, hijackers started to come toward me, and they take me and Scarlett out of our seats, and they walk us to the front of the aircraft.

[Narrator]

Jackie and Scarlett were lined up with another American named Patrick Baker.

[Jackie]

They motion us to put our hands behind our backs, and they start to tie our hands with neckties. Now I look over to the right, and there are three empty seats. It's the bulkhead area facing the cockpit. And they immediately put Patrick on the aisle seat. So I scoot over to the window and Scarlett was in the middle. And then Patrick remained on the aisle. Fifteen minutes later, they came after Patrick.

[Narrator]

Patrick Baker was shot in the head and thrown on the tarmac.

[Jackie]

And I KNEW we had 15 minutes. And Scarlett said. She looked at me and I was praying. That's when I started my prayers. And she said, what are you doing? And I said, I'm praying. And she starts to cry. And 15 minutes later, they came after Scarlet. When I go to a scary movie or something that scares me, I always close my eyes and put my hands over my ears. Well, I couldn't because my hands were tied behind my back. So I would just close my eyes and I'd have to hear all of it. Same sound of the body hitting the staircase and hitting the tarmac. The head hijacker, Omar Mohammad Rezak, walks inside and he looks at me and he went inside the cockpit, and I knew I had 15 minutes. No one really tells you what to do when you're looking at death, or at least, you know, I was only 30 years old, so no one really said, oh, by the way, when you're looking at death, you might want to think about this, this, and this. And so I just put my loved ones in front of me in spirit, one by one, and I told them what I loved about them and I let them go. So I did that one by one. And as I did it to my mother and my father and my sisters, I also did it to my husband. And I was only married for five months, so I really. My life had not evolved yet to even think about having children. So I put this child, this child that might have been in front of me and said goodbye. And I waited. Because of the shifting of people, when we were up in the air, there were about four empty rows behind me, and then the rest were filled up with people after that. So if there was another singling out to be done, everyone on the plane knew it was me, including me. I was the next person to go. The flight attendant came by and she was going to pass out sandwiches, and she saw me and she pass me up as if to say, why feed you? And 15 minutes went by and nothing happened. And then 15 minutes turned into an hour, and then it turned into two hours. When three hours had gone by, I thought, oh, negotiations. Maybe they haven't failed the people, at least on the plane. And maybe we're going to Be okay. And at that time, people were raising their hands to go to the bathroom. People were whispering before. They would not allow us to talk or whisper to anyone. So it seemed very hopeful. Inside the aircraft, in secret secrecy, I started to untie my hands, and anytime a hijacker would come by, I would stop. And I eventually got it undone. I got my hands undone. And then I got worried, oh, my gosh, are they going to be mad at me if my hands were untied? So I wrapped the necktie around my hands to make it look as though my hands were tied. So at that time, I just started to relax. And I looked up and there was Omar Mohammed Rezak coming out of the cockpit. And we on the aircraft knew every time he came out, negotiations had failed. And he came for somebody. The hijackers came from the back and they take me from my seat. Well, I had to pretend my hands were tied behind my back. So my plan was, if it's dark outside, what I'll do is release my hands, kick the hijacker, Omar Mohammed Reza, kick him where it hurts, and then just throw my body down the staircase into the darkness. And then I was going to roll around and get under the aircraft. Well, when I was brought up, it was about 10am in the morning, and I never had a plan for when it was light and I didn't have a plan. So I walked up and it took me by surprise that he put the gun up so quickly. And I felt the gun to my head and I get this idea. This thought came to me, it'll be okay. It's all going to be okay. And he pulls the trigger. I felt the bullet enter my head, and it felt like my brain had just exploded.

[Narrator]

The bullet had shattered Jackie's skull, pushing bone fragments into her brain.

[Jackie]

And as I was hitting the staircase, I felt like I was floating in the air. And then I hit something hard. And I had hit the tarmac, I'd hit the Runway. I just started to take deep breaths, got that under control, and then I just started to play dead. I knew the hijackers were right up above the cockpit, or at least the head hijackers. So I knew that he could be watching me. I was there for about five hours. At one point, I hear a vehicle come near my body. Very gently and very carefully, I squinted my eyes open, and that's when I saw some black pant legs move toward me. So I thought these were the hijackers. And then they lift me up and put me inside a fan. And the man on the right doesn't like looking at the bullet in my head. So he takes my body and he just flips me over. And when he did that, I gasped for air. And he starts to scream and yell, she's alive. She's alive. And I'm waiting for the gunshot to hit me and to kill me off. And nothing happens. Now I'm on my back playing dead, even though they know I'm alive. And I kept thinking to myself, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do? I'm listening to their voices and I thought, hmm, these aren't the hijackers voices at all. So I took a chance and I opened my eyes and I said to the man next to me, are you the good guys or the bad guys? And the man next to me leaned over, he says, honey, we're the medics and you're going to be okay. Turns out it was an ambulance. The hijackers had allowed the medics to come take away all the bodies on the Runway in exchange for food. And we were on our way to the morgue. And when they found that I was alive, we turned course and went to the hospital.

[Narrator]

The medics took Jackie to the hospital.

[Jackie]

In Malta while I was being operated in the hospital for brain surgery. That's when the final minutes of the hijacking ended, when the Egyptian commandos stormed the plane to rescue the passengers. The hijackers threw grenades down the middle of the aircraft and people tried to get out. And 59 people lost their lives that day.

[Narrator]

The hijacker who shot Jackie, Omar Mohammed Resak, survived. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for air piracy. The point blank gunshot to Jackie's head left her with impaired vision. She suffered memory loss and needed therapy for emotional trauma.

[Jackie]

I've learned many things from being involved in this hijacking, but the one that seems to be in forefront of my mine or my thoughts on a daily basis is the idea of living with no regrets. And so there is not a day that goes by that by the end of the day, I make sure I say to the loved ones that are in my life that I love them. I survived because it wasn't time for me to go yet. And yes, I did all kinds of things to keep awake and to pay attention to detail, but I just believe that it was not my time to go yet.

[Narrator]

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[Jackie]

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[Narrator]

It's August 2007 in Monterey, California. Marina State park is Todd's favorite surfing spot.

[Todd]

It was the end of summer and the water's a little bit warmer, but a little bit warmer in Northern California means 65 degrees probably at the top. And so you're wearing a full wetsuit every time you go surfing. I started surfing at 10:20 or 10:30am so I'd only been out there a little while.

[Narrator]

Four other surfers were also in the water.

[Todd]

I had just caught one and I was paddling back out and another wave came to me actually, but my friend Zane was in position for it. He caught it. I sat up on my board and turned towards the beach to watch him surf in. Within a couple seconds of me sitting up, I got hit really very, very hard by a giant animal and it threw me probably 15ft across the surface of the water. I had caught a glimpse of what had just thrown me that far and it was a great white shark. And I knew that I was in for it. And I was trying to paddle away and it was maybe three to four, five seconds after the first hit that I was taken into the shark's mouth. My whole torso, from my shoulder blade down to my butt. I knew that that was potentially the end for me.

[Narrator]

There is on average one great white shark attack each year along the Pacific coast of the USA. One in 12 attacks are fatal.

[Todd]

He took me into his mouth and sandwiched my surfboard and my body together, lifted me out of the water and started shaking me.

[Narrator]

Todd is six three and weighed 200 pounds.

[Todd]

A 16 foot long shark. Great white shark is eight feet deep and six feet wide. So if you can imagine, it's pretty much the size of a Suburban. Everything is so fast that you don't really have time to think. There's only reactions and your body automatically goes into the fight or flight mode. And I wasn't able to get away, so I was fighting. He had me in his mouth and he was shaking me from my right side. And I remember the only thing that I could do was reach around with my left fist and hit him over and over and over again. I suppose I was hitting him on the top of the head or on the side of the head. I don't Remember ever seeing his eye, because, you know, everybody says, oh, if you get attacked by a shark, go for the eye. It's not that easy. It doesn't work like that. You're not able to pinpoint a spot and try to go for it. This thing is £3,000, and it's got 5,000 teeth in their. In you and serrating your flesh and throwing you like a rag doll. If I had twisted the wrong way in the shark's mouth, it would have. It would have punctured my aorta, because its teeth were down on both sides of my spine.

[Narrator]

The aorta is the main artery in the human body.

[Todd]

I didn't feel pain. Your body shuts off that mechanism of pain. It breached, and I was in its mouth. And I think at that point, it shook me a couple times while its body was out of the water and then landed with me in its mouth and took me underwater for a minute. And this is all happening for me so fast. All I'm focusing on is trying to hit this thing and trying to get it off of me, because I know that I'm probably gonna die. I'm hitting this shark over and over, probably four or five times. I don't know exactly how many times I hit it, but I know that it released me for whatever reason. And at that point, I was treading water.

[Narrator]

Suddenly, Todd was surrounded by a pod of dolphins.

[Todd]

There were dolphins leaping over my head and literally tail slapping the water 2 inches from my head.

[Narrator]

The dolphins formed a protective ring between Todd and the shark.

[Todd]

There was a pod of them. There was probably 20 dolphins. They were jumping over my head, doing flips, tail slapping the water literally inches away from my head, trying to keep this shark away from me.

[Narrator]

Marine biologists believe protective behavior is common in dolphins, and they like to help the helpless. But the shark returned.

[Todd]

The shark came, and he swallowed my right leg. And he didn't just swallow a little bit of my leg. He didn't get my ankle or up to my knee. He swallowed my entire leg all the way up to my groin. The only thing that I could think to do was kick it, because for some reason, I had a moment of clarity, and I didn't want to put my left foot on the shark's mouth and try to pull my right leg out of his mouth, because I feared it would be like a chicken drumstick that you eat. You know, it would just pull the meat right off and a couple kicks, and he let go of me. And that's when I started swimming towards the only person that was left out there. Joe Jansen.

[Narrator]

Todd's back was ripped open and his leg was lacerated.

[Todd]

The entire ocean around me was completely blood red. And I was swimming towards him, screaming. I looked at Joe and he was so pale. And he was paddling slowly kind of across where I was swimming towards him, like, kind of towards the beach, but not directly at the beach. So I knew he wasn't trying to get away from me. And I was swimming towards him, screaming. Blood curdling screams, I'm sure. And he's waiting for me and he's yelling at me the whole time, grab your board. And he must have said that 10 times because I swam all the way up to him and I grabbed onto his legs. I was so terrified that I literally grabbed him and I tried to pull myself onto him like he was gonna tow me and bring me to the beach. But he continued to say, grab your board, grab your board, grab your board. And I looked behind me, and by some miracle, my board was still attached to me by my leg leash. I don't know how it didn't get severed when my leg was down the shark's mouth, because that's the same leg that I tie the leash to. I grabbed hold of my leash and I reeled my board in, which was only about 6ft away from me, and I put it underneath myself. Joe is to my left. And I looked at him and I was bewildered. And we were paddling and he said, todd, there's a wave coming. We need to catch this wave. I managed to paddle into a wave before it broke. Catch it. And I rode in right next to Joe on our bellies.

[Narrator]

Todd has lost 50% of his blood and was near death.

[Todd]

I don't know how I managed to paddle into that wave, because 10 seconds later, when I was at the sand in 6 inches of water, I couldn't. I didn't even have the strength to pull myself up onto dry sand. My friends pulled me up out of the water onto the beach by my arms. They knew it was real bad because of the tremendous amount of blood and the huge gaping hole that was my whole back. They could see my lungs inflating and deflating.

[Narrator]

His friends tried to stem the bleeding with a surfing leg leash and towels. Ten minutes later, the lifeguards arrived and.

[Todd]

They flip me over and my back just falls off and just dangles to the side all the way from my butt all the way to my shoulder blade. Tremendous pain because they put me into the lifeguard truck, my back hanging open and hanging off of the backboard. And if you can imagine riding in a truck up a sand dune. I've never felt pain like this in my life.

[Narrator]

Medics in a waiting helicopter gave Todd pain relief, receiving drugs and flew him to the hospital for surgery.

[Todd]

It was the biggest weight off my shoulders I have ever had. It was the hugest feeling of relief.

[Narrator]

Todd lost 50% of his blood and had seven hours of surgery. The surgeon said sewing up his back was like a jigsaw puzzle.

[Todd]

What that took was 500 stitches on the inside and 200 staples to close it up. And that's about 60 inches of bite, including all the puncture wounds and my leg. And it was tremendous.

[Narrator]

Todd credits his survival to both his friends and the dolphins.

[Todd]

I think the shark would have eaten me if the dolphins hadn't distracted or hurt him.

[Narrator]

Six weeks after the attack, Todd went surfing again.

[Todd]

Mentally, I can't. I can't go out as far as I used to or be the farthest one out or wait for the best wave on the outside. I'm hoping that's going to get better. But as for right now, I try to surf the inside as much as I can, obviously.

[Narrator]

Isurvived is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money when you bundle your home and auto policies. The process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. It's June 1993. Stephanie is living in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[Stephanie]

I was a single parent of a three year old little boy living in a small one bedroom apartment. And it was going on like one o'clock in the morning. My little one was in bed and it was time for me to go to bed also.

[Narrator]

Stephanie and her three year old son slept in the same bed.

[Stephanie]

And the next thing I know I'm laying in bed and I'm just about to fall asleep when you know, you have that, that intuition. You have something that's telling you someone's staring at you. I see just a shadow at first standing at the doorway and your eyes focus and then I realize who it is. Lou was standing in my doorway.

[Narrator]

Lou and his wife Kim had been friends of Stephanie's for five years. They were neighbors until six months before when Lou and Kim were evicted. Stephanie asked Kim to stay with her until the family found another place.

[Stephanie]

Since I was single, I wasn't, you know, willing to have a man around. And she was okay with that. He actually had a place that he could be, but her and the kids didn't have a place to be. She was there for a couple months.

[Narrator]

During that time, Lou often visited his family at Stephanie's apartment.

[Stephanie]

I said, lou, what are you doing here? And he said, I'm looking for Kim. I said, lou, now, you know, Kim's been gone for quite a while. And he kind of said, oh, okay. And I asked if he could please walk himself to the door. And then I heard the door shut. And then I got up to lock, make sure it was locked, and lock the deadbolt.

[Narrator]

Stephanie didn't know Lou was hiding in the hall closet.

[Stephanie]

I went back to bed and. And just as I was falling asleep, I felt something jump on me and start choking me, start strangling me. And actually, my first thought was, this isn't real. This is a movie. It's just almost like a dream. I was trying to see who he was because I wasn't sure who was doing this.

[Narrator]

Stephanie was struggling to stay conscious.

[Stephanie]

I was terrified. You can't even describe how scared you are and scared to know that you're not the only one laying in that bed. You have a little boy in that bed with you. So he's repeatedly strangling me every time that he thought that I was coming about. Once he begins strangling you, you're limp. You can no longer control, you know, any part of your body. So fighting is out of the question. I remember my son, for the first time, being able to hear my son cry. That's the most horrible noise. It's just a horrible. Because you can't. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop him from crying. I couldn't take that away from him. I just had to lay there and listen.

[Narrator]

Stephanie was slipping in and out of consciousness.

[Stephanie]

I know I was raped, but the whole rape isn't clear, just bits and pieces. The only thing that I can recall would be a smell, and that would be the strong odor of alcohol.

[Narrator]

Stephanie still didn't know who was trying to kill her.

[Stephanie]

My head was to the side when I woke up, so I kept very still. And I just used my eyes to, you know, look. And, you know, I had a mirror that was at the end, you know, of my bed, but up against the wall. And so I was able to see him. I knew that it was Lou.

[Narrator]

Lou was the husband of Stephanie's Friend Kim.

[Stephanie]

He was at the end of the bed and he had his arm like this, you know, looking into the mirror. Almost like he was at the edge of the bed wondering why was he doing what he was doing. He was thinking, he was contemplating what he was doing. And then he happened to see me seeing him. He seen me from the mirror and then he just turned around and started strangling me again. He was going to kill me. He didn't come there for any other reason but to kill me. I didn't speak. I couldn't speak. Nothing would come out. I was already in shock from what I'd been through. But I guess maybe there was a little bit of. I couldn't believe it was him. I remember bits and pieces of the rape, but not much of it. I believe that. I believe a higher power actually was protecting me that night and took me out of myself. Because I actually remember standing somewhere, I'm not sure where, in this bright light, with a peaceful feeling that I've never felt before in my life. And I truly believe that was because I was supposed to be protected from that.

[Narrator]

Beside her in the bed, Stephanie's three year old son started crying.

[Stephanie]

His cry stopped so abruptly, it just stopped and I realized that he had punched him in the face and knocked him out. He immediately was back on top of me, strangling me again. I really believe that hearing him cry was something I needed to, I needed to hear that at the time it was a good thing because he kept me fighting, he kept me not wanting to give up.

[Narrator]

The strangling and rape lasted for five hours. At 7am Stephanie regained consciousness to find her attacker had disappeared.

[Stephanie]

I could tell something was still around my neck. Knew it wasn't him because I was able to see that it wasn't him. Yet he had tied my leather purse strap around my neck and left me there basically to die next to my son. I thought I was going to die right then and there. There was no way that I could get that off my neck. I didn't have the strength, I didn't have the ability to think.

[Narrator]

Stephanie's three year old son was next to her in the bed.

[Stephanie]

And I happened to look down and my 3 year old had gotten out of bed. And I remember I was standing in the bathroom looking at myself in the mirror, wondering how am I going to. What can I do? You know? And scared and was giving up. And here this three year old is with a pair of scissors, kind of handing them up to me like he's handing you a book or something, you know, he was three years old. He didn't have a clue of what was going on, yet he knew how to make it all better.

[Narrator]

Stephanie then collected evidence of the rape.

[Stephanie]

I don't know how I put it all together, but I was able to grab a tampon. And that tampon is what? You know, gathered his DNA. I was scared to death. I thought, of course he still had to be there. He wasn't gonna leave this easily. I went and tried to make a phone call, but he had cut all my phone cords. As soon as I grabbed my little boy's hand and I walked out that door, I thought he'd be right there waiting for me again. I didn't think it was ever gonna end. We went to the neighbors, and they said that they couldn't get involved, which immediately, you know, meant to me that you heard something and you should be involved. But I couldn't think. I couldn't stop that point. You know, I was still in the building. I was still where he could be. So I was still really scared. So then I ran outside. I had urine. I had feces all down my legs, my shirt, you know, it was ripped almost completely off. But that didn't matter, you know, that was the last thing I was worried about. I stopped a lady in her car and asked if she could please help me. I was, you know, just raped and attacked. And she said no. She had to get to work. She didn't want to be late for work. So then I had to walk the block up to a convenience store, and they called 911 for me.

[Narrator]

Lewis Lam was convicted of rape, attempted murder, and burglary. He was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison and served 13 years.

[Stephanie]

He stole my youth. He stole my dreams. He gets to live his life, and I don't get to live my life. And I just think it's quite unfair.

[Narrator]

Stephanie worries about the impact on her now teenage son.

[Stephanie]

That's extremely tough. Very tough. Because he, although he was young and I, you know, he may not recall all that, but I believe there's a sadness. I believe our souls hold a sadness. It breaks my heart.

[Jackie]

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[Narrator]

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[Jackie]

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[Narrator]

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[Jackie]

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[Narrator]

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[Jackie]

Run Forrest Pluto TV has thousands of movies and shows, all for free.

[Todd]

Pluto TV stream now pay Never.

[Narrator]

Hi, I'm Stassi Schroeder. On my podcast, I share candid updates from my personal life, chat with some of my best friends about what's going on in our lives, give commentary on the latest pop culture headlines, and sometimes deep dive into random topics I'm obsessed with, like human design. It's a bit all over the place, but that's how I like it. And you will too. Listen to my podcast, Stassi, Wherever you get your podcasts.