Before being stabbed in a robbery Feb. 9, Melanie Riley had never missed a day of work.
Now she says she can’t leave home without fear.
“I tried to go into a store with some friends, and before I left, I had three breakdowns,” she said.
She faces a difficult recovery period, but a friend has come to her aid.
Terri Andrews of County Line Vendors Mall has been taking donations for Riley, her best friend, who was stabbed at Skelton’s U-Haul on Grenada Boulevard. Lori Wixon was also stabbed in the attack.
Riley was taken to Delta Regional Medical Center in Greenville and later airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after a CAT scan showed that the wound she had suffered to her heart had pierced the pericardial sac. She found out that she had to have kidney surgery, that a breast mass was detected and that she also had developed a thyroid issue.
Wixon’s back and face are healing well, but the stab wound to her leg nicked a sciatic nerve. This has caused enough problems that she has had to enroll in physical therapy. Wixon’s insurance has covered most of her expenses.
Riley and Wixon are now living together and helping each other through the physical and emotional damage.
The two men charged in the attack, Cory D. Taylor, 27, 11002 N. Mississippi 7, and Jeremy Jermaine Carter, 22, of County Road 392, just outside Itta Bena, were denied bail..
Both have been charged with attempted capital murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The two suspects both have prior convictions and were on probation at the time of the robbery.
Andrews said she didn’t want Riley, who has always been an outgoing person, to be “weighed down” by what happened.
“This was an unforeseen event,” Andrews said. “No one expects to get stabbed, and few of us have the money just laying around to pay for that kind of medical attention.”
“The Victims Crime Unit will not pay for any of the additional medical attention needed,” Andrews said. “It’s sad, and she needs our help.”
Between the collection being taken up at County Line Vendors Mall and the donation site on youcaring.com, family and friends hope to raise $20,000. They have collected $1,070 so far.
“If we can just get $5 per person, that would help,” Andrews said.
Riley, who has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, said it will take time and space for her to heal both physically and emotionally. She said her friends and family have provided a good support system.
“What happened to me and how I react is something I can’t control, but I don’t want to live my life in fear for the rest of my life,” Riley said.
Andrews said that if her family and friends have anything to say about it, Riley won’t live in fear for long.
“We are sticking beside her and being there for her in any way we can,” Andrews said. “She is still here for a reason, and for that we are grateful.”
The website will be running the fundraiser for only 11 days more, but donations will be taken at the mall for as long as needed.
“It puts another stress on you if you can’t pay the bills, and we don’t want Melanie to have to deal with that,” Andrews said. “We just want her to get better.”
Andrews believes there is a reason her best friend is still alive. She believes God has a purpose for both of the women injured.
But until the purpose is revealed, all Riley can do is heal and continue on — for herself, for her family and for her friends.
“I didn’t know how many friends I had until this happened,” Riley said. “I am truly blessed and overwhelmed by it all.”
• Contact Laura Prosser at 581-7233 or lprosser@gwcommonwealth.com.
