A message from Penny's family

 

As many of you have heard, Penny was attacked by two pitbull dogs on Wednesday before heading out to take pictures of the sunset. She defended herself from the vicious attack while screaming for help.

 

A neighbor heard the screams and came running; fending off the dogs and likely saving Mum's life.

 

They called 911 and first responders quickly arrived. She was transferred to University Medical Center in El Paso, where she went into surgery for her injuries.

 

The damage to her hands and arms was extensive. Her right hand could not be saved.

 

Mum is in stable condition after another surgery on Friday. She is awake and Deborah, her daughter, is by her side with her other two children, Clint and Dave, enroute.

 

Thank you for sending your love, thoughts, prayers, and offers of help. All the messages are being passed along to Mum. Her voice perks up when she hears them and she says, "for little 'ol me? oh how nice of them."

 

When first asked if she knew what happened, she said, "I was attacked by dogs. I fought back and screamed and screamed. I'm one tough cookie.

 

We'll add additional information on Mum's condition as we learn more. We are grateful for the couple who came to Mum's rescue, all the first responders, the folks at UMC, and her friends.

 

We have started this site to address and share information about this unimaginably life-altering incident and the challenges Mum will face during rehab, recovery and adjusting to life without her right hand and possibly limited use of her left hand.