A Woman's Story Of Survival

A man broke into her northeast Oklahoma house last week and in a struggle for her gun, she ended up shot in the chest. She credits God and thoughts of her family for keeping her alive. <br/><br/>She

Wednesday, June 28th 2006, 10:05 am

By: News On 6

A man broke into her northeast Oklahoma house last week and in a struggle for her gun, she ended up shot in the chest. She credits God and thoughts of her family for keeping her alive.

She tells me her story to News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright in an exclusive interview.

Terry is recovering, physically and mentally from her terrifying ordeal.

She'd just dropped off her granddaughter and come home around one last Friday. A Nissan truck and two men were in her driveway. "I had asked them what they're doing and they said putting water in the radiator. I hurried into the house and locked both locks."

After that, one man knocked on the door and asked for a drink of water. As Terry was filling the glass, she heard him break into the window; she took off running for the bedroom and the gun. â€œBy the time, I had gotten the gun and out of the case, he as at the door and I fired a shot and of course, missed him, then he grabbed me from behind and I'm trying to shoot him like this. That shot went through my headboard. He turned me around and threw me on the bed and I was not letting go of that gun, it was my lifeline."

In the struggle, the gun went off and hit Terry in the chest, the bullet went out her back and left a hole in her mattress. The missed shots are still visible in both a picture on the wall and her headboard.

She says even though she fought to survive, it was God who saved her life. "It didn't touch a lung, didn't touch a heart, chip a bone, knick an artery. It just went through a maze until it went out, that is the Lord."

The suspects are still on the loose. They were driving a brown Nissan pickup with gray primer on the driver's door. The intruder was short and heavy with a bald head with long, brown hair on the sides.

Terry says she'll be much more at peace once they're behind bars.

If anyone knows who these men are, they should call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS. If the anonymous tip leads to an arrest, the caller will receive $1,000 in cash.

Terry says she wants the men caught so they can't do this to anyone else, she also plans to start regular target practice.