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| Alison Botha |
'Like an apparition, conjured out of the darkness, a young man
with light blond hair pushed his face into the car. I immediately spotted the
knife. It was a long, thin weapon, almost like a letter opener, with a tapering
blade. It felt cold and spiny as he pressed it to my neck. When he spoke his
voice, which was quiet and controlled, sounded as though it emanated from a
distant planet. But every word thudded into my skull.
"Move over or I'll kill you," he whispered.'
And so began Alison's nightmare journey with the two callous killers who were to rape her, stab her so many times doctors could not count the wounds, slit her throat 16 times and leave her for dead in a filthy clearing miles from the city of Port Elizabeth which was her home.
But Alison defied death. And more than that, she denied her attackers the satisfaction of destroying her life. The courage which allowed her to move beyond severe physical and emotional trauma and to turn a devastating experience into something life-affirming and strong, is an inspiration to people everywhere.
"Move over or I'll kill you," he whispered.'
And so began Alison's nightmare journey with the two callous killers who were to rape her, stab her so many times doctors could not count the wounds, slit her throat 16 times and leave her for dead in a filthy clearing miles from the city of Port Elizabeth which was her home.
But Alison defied death. And more than that, she denied her attackers the satisfaction of destroying her life. The courage which allowed her to move beyond severe physical and emotional trauma and to turn a devastating experience into something life-affirming and strong, is an inspiration to people everywhere.
Alison
led a quiet life in Port Elizabeth, until this one fatal night in December 1994
everything changed. Alison became a household name overnight with national
newspaper, radio and television coverage of this remarkable lady who continues
to inspire, motivate and enthuse all those who listen to her unbelievable story
and the lessons we can learn from it.
Having
had her throat slit 16 times and uncountable stab wounds in the abdomen, Alison
held her head up with one hand, and, holding her intestines in with the other,
she crawled to the road where she collapsed.
She was found by a young medical student and after waiting two hours for
an ambulance, was taken to hospital. On
arrival, no one ever believed that a person with such severe wounds could
possibly live! But she did! Alison is no ordinary lady, she not only has
an exceptional will to live, but she has an unbelievable attitude towards life
and everyone can learn from her.
The fact
that Alison survived has been acclaimed a medical miracle, but the fact that
she has chosen not to be bitter, but to learn from her experience and share her
lessons with everyone she can, is more of a miracle. Alison believes that it is
her choice as to how she sees this experience and she has chosen to learn from
it. After an interview, she is quoted as
saying, ‘If I could go back in time and somehow have prevented what happened to
me, I’m not sure that I would, because it took that traumatic experience for me
to realize my personal power and what I’m really capable of doing.
Through the experience, I am now empowered to
help so many people.
Her
story is inspirational and her message powerful.
Danie
