Mother of son at Children’s Hospital fights off attempted rapists on evening walk

Candy* had already been through a lifetime’s worth of hardship before she was attacked on the streets of Seattle Monday night.

Fifteen years ago, Candy lost her daughter in a car accident. Now her 3-year-old son, who was born with medical complications, is awaiting a bone marrow transplant from Children’s Hospital and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; Candy and her husband live in Lakewood but are currently staying in Seattle to be near their son in the hospital.

On Monday evening, Candy decided to seek some relief from the intense stresses in her life by taking a walk near her hotel, which is located close to Children’s Hospital.

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“It wasn’t dark yet, so it felt safe,” she told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.

While she was trying to catch some fresh air, however, two men she had never seen before suddenly came up and attacked her, attempting to rape her on the sidewalk.

“Two guys come up from behind and grab me — they started hitting me and punching me, and trying to pull me to the ground,” she said.

As Candy fell to the ground, one man attempted to rip off her pants while the other man continued to hit her. She fought with all of her might and escaped before the men were able to rape her.

“I stayed moving — I was kicking and moving my arms, and just not letting them get what they wanted,” Candy said. “If you stay still, you’re more of a victim — you’ve got to fight these people here.”

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Candy saw neither where the men came from nor where they went, but she guessed that they were high on drugs at the time of the attack. She noted that “they were strung out, they smelled horrible.” They did not steal anything — she believes the attack was one of purely sexual motivation.

“You’re not even safe to walk down the street during the day anymore here … it’s not right,” Candy said.

At press time, the two men had not been found. Candy filed a police report, and the Seattle Police Department told her that they would conduct some extra patrols in the area. She said police officers checked some nearby homeless camps to see if the men were hiding there.

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To make matters even worse, Candy’s apartment in Lakewood flooded this week. Due to all of the other troubles that have happened, however, Candy and her husband have not been able to give much attention to this latest problem.

Through all of her travails, Candy said that it is her faith in God that keeps her strong.

“He guides us through troubled waters because our enemies can’t swim,” she said. “We will get through this.”

*Name has been left out at personal request. 

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