Calista Muñoz, 25, was so viciously attacked by her dog that her right arm was amputated. Despite the challenges she faces every day, Muñoz is dedicated to staying positive.
“Everyone has a sad story, so I can make my story sound the saddest, but that's not what I'm trying to do to myself,” Muñoz said. Ta.
Munoz has always loved animals, but the call to rescue stray and abandoned animals found her, she told The Arizona Republic. Since Muñoz got her first pet, a turtle, she has cared for abandoned animals, including kittens found in boxes and dogs abandoned at dog parks. Ms. Muñoz currently has four dogs and three cats.
“I love animals, but I never imagined I would have so many animals. But I know these animals came to me, and… We know we can give animals the homes they need,” Munoz said.
This is what Muñoz was doing with Zona, a stray cat her friend found in front of her apartment. She had been caring for Zona for three months when she received a donation to have her neutered. The next day, July 2, Zona suddenly burst out of Munoz's room, ran downstairs and pinned Munoz's other dog against the wall.
“I had no hesitation. I wanted to protect my baby,” Munoz explained.
Munoz did her best to control the situation, which she described as a “combat.” She ordered the other dogs upstairs and was able to move Zona to the bathroom after the dog bit Zona's arms. Once in the bathroom, Munoz pinned down the dog, but was unable to stop her from attacking. Munoz said she estimates the incident lasted 45 minutes. She remembers losing a lot of blood and feeling dehydrated.
Fortunately, Muñoz's neighbor was moving that day. They heard her cries for help and called the police.
“The Phoenix Police Department was not the kind of person I would put them in a traumatic situation like this.”
But even after Phoenix police arrived, Munoz faced an uphill battle to get the help he needed.
“The Phoenix Police Department was not the person you wanted to be in a traumatic situation like this. In some ways, given that they are the people we rely on in a variety of situations like this. It’s alarming,” she said.
Munoz said Phoenix police officers took a long time to break down the fence and nearly five minutes to enter the home, even though the back door was unlocked.
Munoz said police dragged her to a chair on her backyard patio. Despite her requests, the police officer did not cover her exposed breasts. Bystanders attempting to render medical assistance to her were instructed to keep their distance. It wasn't until much later, when another police officer arrived at her home, that she realized she needed a tourniquet.
“Unfortunately, my theory is that if they had put a tourniquet on me when I needed it, I wouldn't have gotten an infection and I would still have a bad arm,” she explained.
Despite his frustration, Muñoz said he was extremely grateful to the police officers who came to his rescue, calling them “saints.”
“A police officer who comes running up to you and says it's okay, that's the type of police officer that I want to meet,” Munoz said.
The Arizona Republic contacted the Phoenix Police Department and received the following statement:
“Officers were called to a residence near 15th Street and Missouri Avenue for an 'unknown trouble.' When responding to a call, officers assess the situation, determine the appropriate course of action, and respond accordingly. Within approximately 11 minutes, officers gathered information from witnesses, secured the scene to ensure there was no ongoing threat to others, and located the victim. identified the victim, isolated him from the dangerous situation, and transported him to receive emergency medical care.”
When the ambulance arrived, Muñoz was taken to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for a week. Despite doctors' efforts to save her arm, it proved to be an uphill battle.
They extracted a central vein from her left leg and replaced the missing vein in her right arm, Munoz explained. Unfortunately, the procedure did not restore feeling in her arm, and Muñoz also developed a potentially fatal infection. At this point, doctors told her that if they amputated her arm now, they could save her elbow and replace her upper arm with a prosthetic limb.
“It was a conscious decision on my part,” Muñoz explained.
Muñoz's amputation was successful and he received a bionic arm prosthesis. Unfortunately for her, when her prototype arrived, her dog was the first to pick it up. Ms. Munoz has asked for another one, but she's making it to order so it's going to take some time.
road to recovery
Returning to daily work has been difficult, she said. Munoz is left-handed, but the loss of her right arm has made her job as an assistant manager at a restaurant extremely difficult, serving food and manning tables.
Muñoz said her supervisors were empathetic and understanding when she returned to work. She has been working at the restaurant for seven years and her management knew that she would continue to do well in her job.
Muñoz also has to attend to the needs of the seven animals in her care, which was no easy task even before the accident.
She is currently pursuing a master's degree in social justice at Arizona State University, which she plans to complete by December. Her classes require a significant amount of writing, so it takes even more time for her to do this process with just one hand. Although professors have been understanding, Muñoz has expressed some frustration with her ASU's formal process for accommodating students with disabilities.
“I've had to fill out the same form about five times before. And I don't know how else to tell him that losing an arm will affect his schoolwork,” Muñoz said. said.
tell her the truth
Muñoz expressed her determination to share her story in hopes that something good will come from it.
“My motivation for telling my story is because it holds people accountable for their disabilities, their own health, and animal owners,” she said. It's a very rewarding experience. The future in front of me is huge. ”
“Maybe all I needed was an arm,” she added.
Munoz is undecided about what she will do when she graduates in December, although she is leaning toward a career that addresses systemic problems in the prison system.
Despite everything she's been through, Muñoz said she doesn't hold any anger toward Zona. She still calls Zona “her sweet angel.” She said the dog, which was euthanized after the incident, was not hers at the time of the attack. Muñoz thinks all of this could have been avoided if she had accepted Zona sooner.
“When I see other animals like him in certain situations, it makes me so sad, because there is so much bad in this world. Why do we choose to have some good in ourselves? Can't we accept that as a responsibility?'' Munoz said.
