By Currents News
A San Francisco teacher is back home after being stabbed on an Italian train.
The devout Catholic says his faith is now stronger than ever.
“I never saw my dad get emotional in my almost 30 years of life,” said Nicholas Pellegrino, who is relieved to be back home with his parents in Staten Island.
“When the nurses tell you that…I lost a liter and a half of blood and the human body contains about five or six…it’s a miracle that I’m here right now.”
Pellegrino was spending his summer vacation visiting relatives in Milan. On July 15, he was stabbed in the neck on a train.
“[It was the] left external jugular vein…It was only nicked, not fully severed,” he said. “That was the grace of God alone that ensured I’m here.”
The devout Catholic and religious studies teacher wears a crucifix necklace around his neck.
But since surviving, his faith is stronger than ever.
“The day after I was released from the hospital, I went right to one of the basilicas in town. I literally knelt on the floor and I just cried my eyes out in thanks,” Pellegrino said.
He is incredibly thankful to the support he’s received since his near bout with death.
A GoFundMe page created by a former student with an original goal of $5,000 has now exceeded that amount more than tenfold.
“These kids are really rooting for me, and saying, ‘Mr. P., we’re waiting for you to come back.’ The best option is to buoy forward, be a witness to what happened, and ensure justice is served to the perpetrators.”
Two of the men involved in the attack have been arrested.