VOICE FOR EVERYONE | Share your voice with KSHB 41’s Leslie DelasBour
Stephanie Perez says the last six weeks have been filled with pain, recovery and reflection.
“Sometimes, I still feel like the knife is in me,” Perez said. “I’m not Stephanie no more.”
In July, 32-year-old John Mcgriff allegedly stabbed his father to death at an apartment building.
After doing so, he also allegedly stabbed Perez as she was walking home from volunteering at a food pantry.
Mcgriff was confronted by Kansas City, Kansas, police officers and was shot after refusing to drop the knife. He now faces multiple felony charges.
For Perez, recovery has not been easy since the stabbing. Volunteering at the food pantry was something she loved, but now fears.
"I thought I was not going to make it,” Perez said. “I’m not there yet, but in my mind, I’m thinking I don’t want to walk no more."
Perez is living with the scars of what happened, but says the love and support she's received is helping her heal.
"I didn’t have any friends or nothing and I didn’t think I was very important," Perez said. "It made me feel good; it brought a tear in my eye, it made me cry."
Perez was born with a speech impediment and other disabilities.
Laura Villegas, Perez's mother, says her biggest fear was losing the baby she’s always cared for.
“It’s like, wow, to see they gave us a second chance with her," Villegas said. “I wasn’t there to protect her and I couldn't get there fast enough — that was the hardest part, knowing that I couldn't save her."
Thankful to have her daughter by her side, Villegas says the fight is not over.
“He damaged her real bad but she survive it and she is going to beat this," she said.
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