Overcoming injuries to help teen who victimized her
Despite a flawed police investigation and a justice system that caused her grief, a teacher, Nadia McLean-Gagnon has transformed being the victim of a horrendous crime into a positive experience she wants to share with others. On Jan. 29, 2006, Nadia McLean-Gagnon's life was altered forever when a 13-year-old boy dropped a piece of concrete through her car windshield. She shared her healing story with delegates to the Manitoulin Northshore Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Service conference. In her presentation, entitled Putting all the pieces back together, she detailed how she has overcome her catastrophic injuries, which included a broken nose, split palate, broken teeth, major muscle and nerve damage, as well as how she has come to embrace the young offender who is now a part of her life. The night of the overpass attack, the youth and an 18-year-old accomplice had been out stealing speakers. When he targeted the car, the youngster was acting on a dare from his older friend. "I almost died for a set of speakers," she said. "Kids often do things for the smallest reward."
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