HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Debbie Beaulieu was so excited. After nearly five months in hospitals and rehab centers, she was going to finally get to come home. Then she learned she tested positive for the coronavirus. A second time.
“I even said to my daughter, ‘I just pray to God that I don’t fight all this pain and come back and die from COVID,'” Beaulieu said.
In February, while in her backyard with her own dog, a pack of dogs belonging to a neighbor attacked her. She did what she could to protect her dog and never blacked out.
“I had long hair and that’s gone. One went one way, the other went another. I even watched my toes go over that way and my hair over that way. I thought I was in a cowboy and Indian movie,” said Beaulieu. “I know the white one is the one that did all the damage up top. I felt his mouth over my head and I felt and heard the crunch.”
Neighbors used sticks and chairs and first responders used their tools to get the dogs off of Beaulieu, likely saving her life. On Sunday, her family is holding a fundraiser to help with medical expenses. She was hoping to thank those who saved her.
“If it wasn’t for them, I think the dogs would have finished the job,” said Beaulieu. “Everybody was using chairs and sticks and those dogs weren’t giving up.”
The fundraising event is still a go and is taking place in the parking lot of the Beef O’Brady’s at 7601 Horse Lake Road in Brooksville.
Beaulieu says she can’t thank the community enough and just can’t wait to get home.
“I feel like someone locked me up in a jail cell. I can’t wait to get out. I can’t wait to have a nice steak or a nice homemade bowl of soup,” she said.