A Florida woman is raising awareness about the dangers of retractable leashes after a tragic dog-walking incident led to the loss of her eye and the use of a prosthetic.
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While talking to PEOPLE, 24-year-old Daniella Abreu recounted an incident from August 7, 2023, when she was walking her 60-pound husky, Blue. Instead of her usual sturdy rope leash, she used an old retractable leash that day because her other one seemed damaged. While walking in her neighborhood, Blu spotted a rabbit and took off after it. Abreu attempted to regain control of the dog, but the retractable leash snapped back and struck her in the right eye.
“I knew right away something was terribly wrong. There was so much blood, I thought I had completely lost my eye,” she explained. Abreu was rushed to a trauma center after her parents contacted an ambulance, and doctors discovered she had sustained a severe fracture under her eye, a detached retina, and a split eyelid. The injury made her face look “caved in,” with damage to the surrounding bones.
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Doctors confirmed that Abreu would lose her right eye after undergoing X-rays, and her eyelid was stitched back together. She also described the pain as a 10 out of 10. She spent months recovering, bedridden, and battling severe migraines, PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks. In June of this year, Abreu was fitted with a prosthetic eye, but she still deals with dizziness and insecurity.
“I’m doing alright but I still feel very insecure about a lot of things,”
