ELMONT, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A Hofstra University student who had acid thrown on her outside of her Long Island home three months ago says she is not giving up hope that her attacker will be caught.
Nafiah Ikram says every day she goes through a painful ritual of applying topical creams and medications to her skin to help heal the severe acid burns that she sustained in an attack outside her Elmont home on March 17.
She says the attack left her blind in one eye and her face and arms are still red and healing.
“When I was in the hospital was saying, ‘I'll be better by May. My vision will come back. I'll be done with school… I'll be able to catch up.’ I don't know when all that's gonna happen,” she said.
Ikram says she’s also suffered extreme weight loss because the acid damaged her esophagus and left it nearly impossible for her to swallow solid food.
“They told me to stick to the same diet I have been, which is like Ensure. If I try to eat some food it’ll probably be like Ramen noodles but, it’ll have to be like a pea-sized amount that I'm putting in my mouth each time – and when I say pea-sized, I mean like using a baby spoon,” the 21-year-old said.
The Hofstra student says she turns 22 on June 11 and the only thing that she wants for her birthday is for the person who attacked her to be brought to justice.
“I just want to know who it is because maybe I can get some closure,” Ikram said.
Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages is asking for the Crime Stoppers reward to be increased to $50,000.
Meanwhile, a Go Fund Me page has raised more than $500,000 for Ikram’s mounting medical bills. WARNING: The page contains graphic imagery of Ikram’s injuries.
Detectives request that anyone with information regarding this crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or to call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.
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