Sask. stabbing rampage victim says she feels 'blessed' to be alive
A 26-year-old woman injured in a stabbing rampage on James Smith Cree Nation says she doesn’t know why she was attacked.
“Right when I saw him with that knife, I was just trying to get away from him right away,” said Galynn Burns.
She says Myles Sanderson gained entry to Brian and Bonnie Goodvoice-Burns house through a basement window. Once inside, he started stabbing people — including Galynn .
“I ran away from him and he chased me,” she said.
Burns says Sanderson first stabbed her in the abdomen but she was able to turn away from him and crouch underneath a table. She then used her forearms to protect herself but was stabbed several times as she tried to block his blows.
“I had my arm up and he was pretty much trying to stab wherever.”
Bonnie Burns and her son Greg were fatally attacked at the house. Gloria Burns was a first responder and relative. She came to the house to help and was stabbed and killed.
“I saw everything that happened in that house,” Burns said.
“He was going after whoever was in his way I guess.”
Burns called her sister who was looking after her children because she thought she might die from her injuries like the others.
“I was more or less saying goodbye to my kids.”
Burns says the attack has left her with “flashbacks”. She says she’s still trying to process what happened and says counsellors have told her that she has PTSD.
“I can’t really remember because it happened so fast.”
The Sept. 4 mass stabbing left 10 dead and 18 injured. The suspects, brothers Myles and Damien Sanderson are both dead.
Damien's body was found in a grassy area on James Smith Cree Nation on Sept. 5. Police do not believe his fatal injuries were self-inflicted.
Myles Sanderson died in police custody after going into medical distress shortly after his arrest on Sept. 7.
Burns says, despite the death of the man she says attacked her, she still has trouble sleeping and has to check that all of the windows and doors are shut and locked before she goes to bed at night.
Burns' parents and boyfriend have been staying with her to help ease her fears.
“I’m not ready to be alone,” she said. “It’s like a daily thing I think about."
Burns was in hospital for five days. Doctors told her a nerve in her arm was severed by the knife. She’s lost all movement in her right, dominant hand and has to wear a hand brace.
She’s taking physiotherapy to try to regain movement in her fingers.
“My biggest fear is that this could be a lifelong disability and I’m hoping to fully recover and get back to my daily activities as a mom,” she said.
Galynn is a mother of four children, ranging in age from ten to one.
She says she knows of other people like her boyfriend's brother who was stabbed and spent several days in intensive care.
“I just picture myself fully recovering and going back to school.”
She says she is fortunate she lives off-reserve so she won’t have to drive by the house where it happened.
“I’m blessed to be here today. Especially for my kids too. They are probably the reason why I’m here today,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.