14 hours ago
Dublin acid attack victim: ‘All I can remember is pain, panic and chaos'
Joanna Grabczak, who is originally from Poland but has lived in Ireland since the age of five, was just 20 years old when a woman walked into the fast food restaurant where Joanna worked and threw sulphuric acid at her.
The mother-of-one was working behind the counter of One Asian Kitchen Takeaway in Tallaght, Dublin, on December 13, 2020, when Katarzyna Wsiubiak carried out the horrifying attack.
In 2023, Wsiubiak, who was 34 at the time and of Abberly Square, Tallaght, was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Speaking for the first time since the terrifying ordeal, Joanna said she still has nightmares about the night in question but that counselling and the love and support shown by her partner Daniel, her three-year-old son, family and friends has helped pull her through.
Speaking about the attack, Joanna, who was studying to become a social worker at the time, said the pain she felt once the acid hit her skin was unbearable.
She said: 'I was actually not meant to be working that night, I was meant to be off. I was working at the Chinese takeaway and I was more than halfway through my shift when a woman walked in at just after 8pm and came through the counter and threw a cup at me.
'I didn't know what was in the cup but then the pain hit me. I stopped in my tracks and I didn't hear anything except my own screams.
'I pulled off my top and my co-worker grabbed me and brought me to the sink and started pouring water on me.
'I'm so grateful to him because if he hadn't done that my scars and injuries would no doubt have been a lot more severe. All I can remember is the pain and the absolute panic and chaos.
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'The clothes I had on were starting to melt into my skin. The acid hit my face, chest, the left side of my abdomen and left arm. The right side of my face and arm did get a little acid on it too but it was mild in comparison.
'My left eye shut instantly and I now have a scar on my cornea.'
Speaking about the woman who carried out the attack, Katarzyna Wsiubiak, Joanna said: 'She was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and is currently in a psychiatric hospital.
'I didn't know her personally at the time of the attack, she would order food from the restaurant and I would say hello to her but that was it.'
And speaking about her life since the nightmare ordeal, Joanna said it has been a bumpy road but she is finally making progress, she continued: 'Since then, I've been under the care of several hospitals as an outpatient.
'I am still receiving laser scar therapy at St James's Hospital for facial injuries, ongoing care at the Eye and Ear Hospital, as the acid also damaged my left eye, leaving a scar on my cornea that affects my vision.
'The staff at St James's Hospital and the Eye and Ear Hospital have been incredible and I can't thank them enough.
'I have also had two years of therapy for PTSD, anxiety and the horrific dreams which I continue to have to manage daily.'
The young mother said she is now hoping to raise funds in order to have a hair transplant and get tattoos to help cover the permanent scarring.
'This attack didn't just scar my body, it stole time, confidence, and peace from me. But I'm still here, and I'm still fighting. I want to feel like myself again. I want to go outside without feeling ashamed or broken.
'I had to have skin grafts on my head so I have no hair growing there. I need to have a hair transplant and it costs a lot up to €10,000, which I don't have. I never received any compensation for what happened to me.
'Surgeons will have to take healthy hair from the other side of my head to try to cover the grafted area. I'm hoping it will help me take one more step towards healing, physically and emotionally.'
Joanna, who spent a month in hospital due to her horrific injuries, said she set up the GoFundMe page in a bid to fundraise €13,500 for further treatment.
She continued: 'I'm trying to raise funds to help me take back control over how I look and feel about myself.
'I also want to get tattoos, which will not be cosmetic but rather therapeutic.
'Each session will hopefully transform painful reminders into symbols of strength and healing.
'This is not about vanity, it is about giving me the confidence to look in the mirror and not be reminded of my trauma.'
Joanna was one of the three victims. A second woman suffered burns when she tried to help her injured colleague remove her clothes. The third victim suffered burns to her ankle as a result of the acid splashing near her feet.
