'I'm always in pain': Hofstra student still struggles since attack that left her blind in right eye

It's been 11 weeks since Nafiah Fatima was attacked at her Arlington Avenue home.

News 12 Staff

Jun 4, 2021, 2:15 AM

Updated 1,301 days ago

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The 21-year-old Hofstra student who was attacked outside her Elmont home describes how she is always in pain and has forgotten what normal feels like.
It's been 11 weeks since Nafiah Fatima was attacked at her Arlington Avenue home. Video captured the attacker running towards her and throwing something on her face before running away. Fatima's family believes it was acid.
Fatima suffered first and second-degree burns on her face and arms and is now blind in her right eye.
"Honestly, I'm always in pain and my brain has kind of gotten use to that," says Fatima. "I don't really know what feeling normal is anymore."
Fatima is also unable to eat much because of the scar tissue in her esophagus.
"They say for the burns and scarring it could take a year to a year and a half for the scarring to mature," says Fatima. "Then they can start surgically fixing it."
Legislator Carrie Solages is now asking for the Crime Stopper reward to be increased from $20,000 to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest of the person responsible.
As News 12 has reported, police are looking for a red Nissan Altima between 2013 and 2015. They say they captured it on camera at several locations. 
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.