Tragedy to Triumph: Michelle Wilkins
Her smile, quick.
Her demeanor, at peace.
Her outlook, hopeful.
It’s not the reaction you’d expect from someone who has been through immesurable trauma.
March 18th, 2015, Michelle Wilkins responded to a Craigslist ad, advertising baby clothes. The mom-to-be was preparing for the arrival of her daughter, who she planned to name Aurora.
What happened that day in Longmont was nothing short of sheer horror: Wilkins was stabbed and her seven-month-old fetus cut from her womb.
The perpetrator, Dynel Lane, tried passing the baby off as her own – claiming she had miscarried.
Wilkins was left for dead, until –
Until something told her to fight for her life.
“I couldn’t feel my feet. I fell over. I could feel the blood running over my hand that had instinctively gone over my belly to protect it. In that moment, I had the conscious thought, ‘I could bleed to death, or I need to find a way to stand up and find a way to survive,'” said Wilkins, in an exclusive interview with KRDO Newsradio (click here to listen to full podcast).
Wilkins was able to call 911 for help. Her daughter, however, could not survive outside the womb. In her memory, Wilkins has an altar set up in her home surrounding Aurora’s ashes.
Though Dynel Lane was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison, she never apologized for the crime.
“There’s this confusion about why someone wouldn’t take responsibility. after being on trial, proven guilty. I still don’t know why, and I don’t know that I’ll ever get a response from her, or a worthwhile, honest response,” said Wilkins. “It seems like she’s so far removed from that place in herself, that can be honest and emotional and in the same reality.”
Still, Wilkins says she was able to be honest, yet forgiving towards the woman who attacked her.
“It was really satisfying to say, ‘I don’t need anything from you, but I do need to say this to you,’ and to say how upset I was, directly to her.”
Wilkins credits her family, friends, and mentors for helping her heal.
“I could really feel the prayers and the compassion pouring in,” said Wilkins.
She is also penning a book, to chronicle her experience and healing.
Another vision for the survivor: start a holistic healing center, designed for those dealing with traumatic events. Wilkins has started a GoFundMe page to help defray the costs of preparing to found the healing center that would also feature a sustainable organic farm.
