Woman stabbed 32 times marries first responder who saved her life five years ago

Melissa Dohme and Cameron Hill met under the worst of circumstances, but now they’ve tied the knot.

Five years ago, Dohme, then 20 years 0ld, received a call from an ex-boyfriend who wanted to meet up just one last time. She agreed, and when they met, he pulled out a switchblade and stabbed her 32 times, CNN reported.

Had it not been for Hill, a firefighter and the first paramedic on the scene, Dohme might not have survived. Last week, five years removed from the harrowing encounter, Hill and Dohme got married.

In 2013, Hill recounted the rescue in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. He said that attack was so bad and bloody that “you couldn’t tell she was blond.”

“I would never want to go through the horrific attack again, but with where I am today, I wouldn’t change it,” Dohme said. “I would have never met Cameron, so I believe it was fate that brought us together.”

After the 2012 attack, Dohme flatlined four times. In fact, she lost so much blood that she suffered a stroke that left her face partially paralyzed.

But three weeks after being stabbed in the face, back, arms, and shoulders, Dohme stood up and walked out of rehab on her own. From there, she traveled across Europe before returning to Clearwater, Fla., to become a nurse, the Times reported.

One year after the violent assault, Dohme, who now works with domestic abuse survivors, spoke at a local church, sharing her story. Two of the first responders who aided Dohme were there — and Hill was one of them.

Dohme said she immediately hugged Hill before they exchanged phone numbers and made plans to meet again at his firehouse for barbecued ribs. Dohme said she was “weirdly giddy” after talking with Hill, adding that she “had this feeling about him.”

That night, Dohme took a thank-you card to Hill — something she said she did just to see him again — and they talked for five hours. Two months later, they were dating.

Hill proposed in 2015 at the pitcher’s mound at a Tampa Bay Rays game. When Dohme was preparing to throw out the first pitch, Hill ran out to hand her the ball. Scrawled on the baseball was this question: “Will you marry me?”

After she read it, Hill got on one knee and opened up a small box. Dohme said “yes,” and then threw out the opening pitch with her new fiancé.

Now, with her husband by her side, Dohme has dedicated her life to helping victims of abuse.

“My message to anyone hiding in silence  if you are currently being abused, know that you are not alone, and it is not your fault,” she said. “Please reach out to your local domestic violence center for assistance on how to safely end the relationship, because ending an abusive relationship can be very dangerous.”