'I did not ask for this at all': Stabbing victim recounts random attack in Sask. restaurant
Ryan John is still recovering from having a four-inch hunting knife plunged into his head by a stranger while picking up his order at Boston Pizza in Prince Albert on Oct. 14, 2020.
“He stabbed me once in the back right here ... the tip of the blade touched the other side of my head it went so far in.”
John was stabbed twice in the skull. During the attack he says he heard his attacker call him a “snitch.”
“I looked down at myself and I’m just spraying blood.”
A restaurant employee intervened and the attacker fled the scene.
Prince Albert police found the suspect, 19-year-old Trent Fox, moments later near the restaurant.
Fox was charged with attempted murder but pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. He was sentenced to four years in prison on July 8 in Prince Albert Provincial Court.
John says he wondered why the attack happened.
“I did not ask for this at all, he didn’t know me and I didn’t know him,” John said.
I DON’T REALLY FEAR DEATH
Doctors say John lost about 10 bags of blood and was close to death.
John was transported to Victoria Hospital and then airlifted in a STARS helicopter to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
“And I thought I don’t want my mother to worry and the last thing I would want for her is to wake up and get that call about what happened,” he said.
John suffered an intracranial brain hemorrhage and was put into an induced coma so physicians could treat his injuries.
He was 21-years-old at the time of the attack. His mother, Michelle Hunt, was told by doctors the part of his brain responsible for mobility and sight was severed and he may be blind and never walk again.
Hunt had to make the decision to allow doctors to perform a high-risk surgery to try to repair his brain.
Part of John’s skull was removed and his body could have rejected the reinsertion of part of his skull.
John was in a coma for 13 days but woke up and today is on the road to recovery.
“They couldn’t believe that Ryan was alive and first of all that he could see and that he got up out of the bed and was walking and talking,” said Hunt.
John says he had a near death experience.
“The feeling of death was probably the most peaceful feeling you’ll ever get. I don’t really fear death after what happened.”
Hunt says her son’s life was just beginning and the attack has left him lifelong physical and emotional scars. She’s happy he’s alive to share his story.
“I keep an eye on Ryan closely,” said Hunt. “He has the most positive attitude ever. He’s out an about in Prince Albert again, and if you see him, just say hi to him.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.