Woman bitten by stray cat while volunteering, her ability to use sign language affected

DEKALB Co., Ind. (WANE) - Dawn Lacy was volunteering at the DeKalb County Humane Society on June 23rd when she said a man brought in a stray cat. She said the man claimed the cat was friendly, but when she took the cat out of the cage, it bit her.

She went to the doctor to receive treatment. Within a few more days after her treatment, the infection became worse.   

"They started talking about amputating my hand, and I begged them not to do that," Lacy said.

She needs her hand because she's a sign language interpreter. Not only does she do this for a living, but this is how she communicates with her husband and two stepchildren who are deaf. She also is the sole interpreter at the Harvest Free Will Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, but can't do that because of her injury.

The infection almost became deadly when she lost consciousness one night and had to go to the hospital.

"That was a very scary time, especially for my 12 year old," Lacy explained, "She, after the fact, they [family members] told me she had been screaming for me to wake up and she was saying, 'mommy, I need you, don't die, don't die.' And hearing that was heart wrenching."

Lacy shared her story with a local radio station. She said a veterinarian called in and said she could have a certain disease that's been known to be in stray cats in the area. She went back to her doctor with this information and have ran some more test. They're now waiting on results to see exactly what she has.

She said the infection has now caused some neurological issues, such as dizziness, confusion, blurriness, among other things. She's relying on her faith to get her through this rough patch in her life.

"All things work together for good, for those who love the Lord. And while this has devastated my life and my family temporarily, I know that God has something wonderful in store through this situation."

Lacy said people should be very careful when it comes to dealing with stray cats. She said you should never feed or capture them.

Lacy doesn't have health insurance because she's self-employed.

Buffalo Wild Wings at 1071 Smaltz Way in Auburn will be holding a fundraiser for Lacy on September 5th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The restaurant will donate 10% of everyone's meal to Lacy.