Three years ago Melissa Dohme was fighting for her life, but today the domestic violence survivor and advocate is starting a new chapter with the man who rescued her all those years ago.
Dohme, who was asked to throw the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Ray's baseball game on Monday, was met on the field by her boyfriend Cameron Hill. Hill, an emergency medical technician (EMT), ran out towards her and dropped to one knee with a ring in one hand, and a baseball in the other that read, "Will you marry me?"
Hill was one of two first EMTs on scene when Dohme was stabbed 32 times by her ex-boyfriend, the Tampa Bay Times reports. But the attack — which kept Dohme in the hospital for three weeks — didn't keep her down for long.
Despite flat-lining four times and suffering severe nerve damage that paralyzed part of her face, Dohme walked out of rehab on her own and travelled for a short while before returning to school to become a nurse. Dohme's horrific experience left her with the desire to make a difference: she eventually decided to share her story, becoming an advocate for victims of domestic violence.
Dohme's advocacy has led to many public speaking events, one of which re-introduced her to Hill. The two kept in touch after the second meeting and began dating in December of the same year — 11 months after Dohme's attack, reports the Washington Post.
And while Dohme is planning her happily ever after with her hero, her attacker, Robert Lee Burton Jr., will continue to serve life in prison for her attempted murder.
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