Cancer survivor battling disease with an inspiring outlook and unique friendship

By Edie Kasten, Joe Donlon

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Meet a man who made a conscious decision to face adversity with a smile and a sense of adventure. A driving force alongside him: a friend he never imagined meeting.

Cabbie Anouar Lysazale is a driving force in his pal Steven Daniel’s life in many ways. They first met about eight years ago.

“We’re friends. We’re family. We support each other and encourage each other,” Daniel said.

How did the two very different men become so close? Lysazale said it happened “organically” as he began driving Daniel to his treatment sessions for prostate cancer.

“I first noticed symptoms at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, but it was that my knee was in severe pain,” Daniel said. “Then I started to feel pain in my back, and then it developed into having difficulty with urinating.”

In 2017, Daniel learned he has metastatic prostate cancer. He also had a choice to make.

“I just said to myself, ‘If you were planning a trip to Spain – I’ve never been to Spain – it would be an adventure,” he said. “So, I’m just going to look at this cancer journey as my adventure.”

Daniel’s oncologist, Dr. Maha Hussain, an oncologist and expert at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, said prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, but still “the odds for overall survival is tremendous.”

“Many men right now are living quite a bit longer,” Hussain said.

Hussain recently told Daniel his cancer is looking stable. She also said attitude is key. Take Daniel for example.

“He has a wonderful spirit, he is very positive, and he is definitely a survivor, and he is enjoying life,” she said. “The key thing is to keep being a fighter and survivor.”

In Daniel’s case, he’s not just a fighter and survivor, but a singer.

“Once I was diagnosed with cancer, I made a list of things that I’d always kind of wanted to do or to pursue,” he said. “One of them was taking voice lessons.”

In 2022, when the Prostate Cancer Foundation was looking for someone to represent the organization during the Chicago Cubs’ seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field, they chose Daniel, and no one was more surprised.

“If you’d have told me in 2017, when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, that I’d be singing at Wrigley Field, I would have said, ‘That’s silly. That’s not going to happen,'” Daniel said.

Speaking of things Daniel never guessed would happen: Lysazale’s constant kindness.

“He’d ask me if I needed to go to the grocery store,” Daniel said. “He would shut off the car, he’d wait for me, I’d go and get my groceries or whatever, then hew would just drive me home. One night, he said, ‘We’ve already taken care of dinner,’ so on the ride home, he just pulled over in front of that restaurant, went in, and got me dinner.”

But there’s even more.

“The most moving thing that he ever said to me was that he was praying for me when they were at mosque, that he was praying for me,” Daniel said.

Lysazale said their friendship was meant to be.

“His heart is so big, and it doesn’t matter what words comes out of my mouth, it’s not enough,” he said. “He’s very kind to our family, giving a lot of goodness to our kids.”

Daniel also gives Lysazale’s family a certain amount of chocolate.

“If I knew he was going to pick me up, I always got his children some kind of bag of candy,” Daniel said

“He spoiled my kids. Now I’m having trouble controlling them,” Lysazale said. “Whenever I bring chocolate home, my wife is like, ‘Did you buy chocolate?’ I’m like, ‘Nonni, this is from Mr. Steven.’ Like, ‘Oh, in this case, it’s okay.’ I’m like, ‘Excuse me?'”

Lisazale’s final word about Daniel?

“I believe he was born with a smile,” he said.

And Daniel’s words for all of us?

“Live your life. Embrace life,” he said. “If you want to go to a fancy restaurant, you’ve never done that? Make a reservation, go to that restaurant. If you want to take voice lessons, go take voice lessons. Embrace all those opportunities.”

Daniel sang again at Wrigley Field in 2024, and is hoping for a three-peat.

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Pregnant cancer survivor takes on Philadelphia 8K, her toughest test since 2024 Olympics

By Stephanie Stahl

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    Philadelphia (KYW) — Philadelphia Marathon weekend is here, and one of the runners in Saturday’s 8K race will be a Villanova University field hockey coach who’s also pregnant and a cancer survivor.

Former Olympic athlete Karlie Kisha was at Independence Mall on Friday getting her Runners for Research T-shirt, ready for Saturday’s 8K race, which is part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend.

“Looking for a 9-minute mile pace,” Kisha said, “but seven months pregnant, just kind of going to have fun with it and just enjoy the day.”

Kisha says the challenge of running about 5 miles pregnant is nothing compared to what she’s been through.

“I was diagnosed in April of last year,” Kisha said.

Kisha had thyroid cancer and was just 29 years old.

“My first surgery, I got my thyroid out, so your thyroid’s right here,” Kisha said, “and the cancer did spread to my lymph nodes, which goes all the way over to here. They took about 20 out.”

But there wasn’t much time to recover.

Kisha was on the U.S. field hockey team and was cleared to go to the Olympics in Paris just days before the team left.

“No one thought I could do it,” Kisha said. “I didn’t even think I was gonna be able to do it.”

Kisha says she was in the best shape of her life. That didn’t keep the cancer away, and the surgery didn’t keep her from the Olympics.

“It wasn’t just back running,” Kisha said. “It was back on the international stage, so I actually played in the game two weeks later, which is crazy.”

After Paris, Kisha was home for more treatments.

“In July, I had radiation,” Kisha said.

Grateful for the successful cancer treatments, Kisha is joining the American Association for Cancer Research team running to raise money for cancer research.

“I have had a great experience with my cancer situation,” Kisha said, “and I just want other people to also have an experience like mine.”

Kisha will be among 1,000 runners on the team, sharing the message that cancer research saves lives.

Kisha’s baby, her first, is due in mid-January. The group she’s running with is aiming to raise $8,000 for cancer research.

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Long Island home health aide indicted for trying to kill patient, DA says

By Mark Prussin

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — A New York home health aide accused of trying to kill an elderly patient in her sleep with a chef’s knife has been indicted for attempted murder.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Amanda Fraser, 23, stabbed the 84-year-old woman and held the knife to her torso for over 15 minutes at the elderly woman’s home in Massapequa last month.

“An excruciating 16 minutes” Fraser, who was arraigned on multiple charges Friday on Long Island, repeatedly told the woman to “just let go” and “stop fighting it” during the attack in October, Donnelly said.

“In the middle of the night as her elderly patient laid in her bed, this defendant allegedly brandished an approximately eight-inch blade and plunged it into the sleeping woman’s body,” Donnelly said in a statement. “For an excruciating 16 minutes as the woman moaned in agony, Amanda Fraser – the woman’s home health aide – held the knife firm in her body and repeatedly whispered for the woman to succumb. When she did not die, the defendant left the home, and the woman she was employed to care for, bleeding and alone in her bed.”

The injured woman was treated for a puncture wound to her lung and was hospitalized for weeks with an infection stemming from the injury, Donnelly’s office said.

Stabbing caught on surveillance video, family says Fraser, a Queens resident, was arrested after the alleged victim’s family said surveillance video showed her getting into the bed and stabbing the woman.

Sources told CBS News New York she went to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before should could be arraigned.

Aides at Home, Fraser’s employer at the time, told CBS News New York the stabbing was a tragedy and an isolated incident.

“The investigation is ongoing. We’re cooperating fully,” a manager at the Hicksville office said.

Fraser was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

The DA’s office said she is due back in court on Dec. 9.

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71-year-old worker pinned under equipment in cranberry bog in Massachusetts dies

By Paul Burton

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — A 71-year-old man died in a tragic accident at a cranberry bog on Cape Cod Friday morning.

The man, who has not been identified, was working at a bog behind County Road in Bourne, Massachusetts when something went wrong just after 8 a.m.

In a statement, police said he was “operating a piece of equipment in the cranberry bogs, when it rolled over on top of him, pinning him under the equipment.” Fire officials explained that the man was using the tractor to sand the bog in preparation for next season when something went wrong. The man had been in the industry for decades.

“When the tractor that this gentleman was driving started to go down a ramp to get to the bog, it flipped over, and he was trapped. His fellow workers who were with him did their best to get him out of there and they did” State Representative Stevem Xiaros said.

Officers and paramedics rushed in and attempted CPR, but the man died. The victim’s identity has not been released.

State and local police are looking into what happened, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The medical examiner’s office was also called in as part of the probe.

“The Bourne Police Department’s collect thoughts are with the family, friends, and co-workers of the victim in this incident,” police said in their statement.

Xiaros said that he spoke with the owner of the cranberry bog on Friday. The bog has been in the man’s family for five generations.

“He’s just a hard-working man and he ‘s very upset and struggling with the loss of his friend,” Xiaros explained.

No other information is available at this point in the investigation.

Bourne, Massachusetts is about 57 miles south of Boston.

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Anne Arundel County man indicted on massive Philippines sex trafficking ring

By Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — An Anne Arundel County man now faces a 15-count federal indictment for his role in a sex trafficking ring based in the Philippines.

Philip Andrew Turner, 46, is charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, four counts of coercion and enticement, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Turner was arraigned on Friday before a federal judge and is currently being held at the Chesapeake Detention Facility in Baltimore City. He was taken into federal custody on Nov. 6 after a complaint was filed.

According to the federal indictment, Turner used an online account to connect with known traffickers in the Philippines. This started in October 2017 and happened as recently as May 2025.

The indictment accuses him of “using the internet to persuade, induce, entice and coerce USER 1 [the trafficker] and the minor females to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Court documents say the victims were between 10 and 14 years old.

The feds say Turner negotiated the price for the content with the sex traffickers, chose the children he wanted to watch, and the sex acts he wanted to see. He allegedly received child sexual abuse images, saving them online and on his laptop. He also had live Skype calls with victims while they engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to court documents.

Neighbors shocked in Linthicum Heights According to neighbors, Turner lived on Hawthorne Road for about 10 years. His neighbors told WJZ that they rarely interacted with him and that he kelp to himself.

“You either hear about it on the news or you know you read it about it on social media, but you have it happening on your street is …awful,” Kim Hill, who lives across the street, said. “We have, probably in the past two years, had quite a few families move in with little kids… I’ll even be more protective.”

TurnAround, Inc. is a local organization helping victims of sex crimes and trafficking. It says social media and the internet have made these types of crimes more common.

“It is unfortunately becoming very common because of the ease with which it can be facilitated online, and the kind of material can be exchanged,” Jean Henningsen, chief communications officer for the organization, said.

Prior charge in Anne Arundel County Cellphone video shows when Anne Arundel County and state investigators raided Turner’s home at the end of October before the federal charges were brought. On Oct. 28, Maryland State Police arrested Turner, charging him with child pornography, possession of child pornography, and other related charges.

In 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began investigating several individuals in Maryland connected to a sex trafficking ring in the Philippines. The traffickers allowed people to direct the sexual exploitation of minors via a live camera feed.

Investigators focused on Turner, alleging he directed juvenile females to engage in child pornography globally.

He faces a 15 to 30-year sentence for each count of sexual exploitation of a child. If convicted on the first five counts alone, Turner could face a minimum of 75 years in federal prison and a maximum of 150 years behind bars.

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Sacramento State students protest new on-campus living requirement

By Peyton Headlee

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    SACRAMENTO (KCRA) — Sacramento State students are protesting against a new university policy that requires them to live on campus for their first two academic years.

The university, which has long been known as a commuter campus, announced the change last month. The university said the new policy is aimed at “student success, community engagement, and academic achievement.”

“I’m sure a ton of you know why we’re here, and it’s because we don’t like the housing requirements,” Emma Beck said to the dozens of protestors gathered outside of the library on Thursday evening.

Beck, the student who organized the protest, highlighted the financial burden the new policy could impose on students who choose to commute to class.

“A lot of students have negative feelings about the requirement,” she said. “I chose to live on campus my first semester here because it was convenient, but then I chose to move away because it was too expensive. So, there’s two sides of the coin that they’re not really seeing.”

The university said it plans to offer a number of exemptions, including students facing financial hardships or those living locally.

Beginning fall 2026, students living with immediate family within 50 miles of campus will be exempt, but the distance will be reduced to 30 miles in 2027.

Other exemptions include those age 21 or older by the first day of classes, students considered independent on the FAFSA, active-duty service members, those required to live at their job site (like caregivers), study abroad students, and those with disabilities or medical conditions that cannot be accommodated in student housing.

Nadine Kelly, executive director of the university’s housing services, explained the policy’s focus on student success and community engagement.

“I think that there’s an opportunity to shift the direction and shift us to a residential destination. There’s something to be said about calling a place home,” Kelly said. “Students that live on campus tend to have higher GPAs, tend to graduate on time, and are having a different experience than students that live off campus.”

Despite the university’s stance, students continue to express dissatisfaction with the change, emphasizing their desire for autonomy in choosing where to live.

“The benefits to living on campus are fantastic, where you have better access to all the resources here. But the financial burden just outweighs everything else,” Beck said.

Sacramento State noted it would have expanded residence options when the new requirement goes into effect. That includes a new residence hall, Mt. Whitney Hall, which is set to open in fall 2026 and provide 335 new beds for first-year students. Riverview Hall will also have an additional 150 single beds converted from upper-division housing.

With the new policy, the university also indicated it plans to promote more programming tailored toward first and second-year students, aiming to build a sense of belonging.

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Meet the newest member of the force: Milwaukee police surprise young boy fighting cancer

By Sam Schmitz

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    MILWAUKEE (WISN) — There’s a new member of the Milwaukee Police Department, and he’s only 6 years old.

Leo Perez, a 6-year-old from Milwaukee, is currently fighting a rare cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma, or RMS.

RMS is most common in children and teenagers. It typically begins in muscles used for movement. It can grow quickly and often requires extensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation, and sometimes surgery. Only a few hundred cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S., making awareness and research very important.

Leo doesn’t let any of that stop his passion for public safety. He adores Milwaukee police officers, the K-9 unit, the TEU BearCat, and of course, “Paw Patrol.”

It was an unforgettable day on Nov. 20, thanks to the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Police Association. Leo was given a large donation of toys, gear, and gifts with the theme of public safety at the MPA headquarters. He was even given his own badge.

“Seeing someone who is a bright light to them [regarding his] desires to be part of this family and seeing that this really lights up his day, what can you say more?” said Milwaukee police Chief Jeffrey Norman.

In addition to Leo’s family being there, the Milwaukee Police Department’s K-9 Unit, the Tactical Enforcement Unit’s BearCat armored rescue vehicle were also there for Leo.

“Overall, it’s so amazing that he gets this attention cause he deserves it,” said Leo’s mother, Arely Perez. “He deserves it a lot.”

“Leo’s courage and joyful spirit have inspired people across Milwaukee,” The Milwaukee Police Association wrote in a release. “The MPA wanted to bring him a day filled with excitement, kindness, and the public safety heroes he admires. This event celebrates the strong connection between Milwaukee’s officers and the young people they serve — especially those facing the toughest battles.”

Leo’s artwork was also featured on a recent ornament for the MACC Fund, which fights childhood cancer.

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Chiefs lineman Trey Smith helps hand out 400 Thanksgiving meals in KCK

By Alan Shope

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    KANSAS CITY, Kansas (KMBC) — Several Kansas City families will have an easier Thanksgiving this year thanks to Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith, who teamed up with Giving Hope KC on Thursday night to hand out hundreds of free holiday meals.

For the third straight year, Smith greeted families, loaded bags with food and wished residents a happy holiday as they drove through for assistance.

“Anytime I can give back to KC, you know this community has given so much to me. I want to do it,” Smith said.

KC Wolf, Chiefs cheerleaders and volunteers joined in, helping distribute turkeys and everything needed for a full Thanksgiving spread.

“It’s awesome to help people out. It’s touching because you don’t know what people are going through, and bringing yourself down to help other people in their time of need is important,” Smith said.

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New Orleans DEA division cracks down on Mexican Cartels operating across the city

By Anum Siddiqui

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — The New Orleans Drug Enforcement Administration reports two Mexican cartels are responsible for flooding the New Orleans area with deadly drugs.

Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer says the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels are pushing all drugs, but their focus is cracking down on meth, fentanyl and cocaine.

“We are up against two powerful, ruthless organizations,” Hofer said.

Since January 2025, the New Orleans DEA office has seized the following:

nearly $10 million in assets, which includes vehicles, homes and more about 140 kilograms of cocaine, about 20 kilos of fentanyl, and about 400 kilograms of marijuana The agency is on track to outpace all of last year’s seizures.

This year, nearly 400 people in New Orleans have been arrested. Hofer says operatives in New Orleans are from all different backgrounds, including Louisiana natives.

“Anyone who is willing to sell their drugs for them, smuggle drugs, do finance, be an enforcer for them, they are going to take that person on,” Hofer said.

The cartels have expanded operations in over 40 countries and in almost all 50 U.S. states. Hofer says New Orleans geography attracts cartel business.

“New Orleans works out well for the cartels because of the interstate system, with Houston not being far away from Atlanta and even Florida, and, of course, the waterways,” he said.

Recently, the Trump administration designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Arnett says the decision from the federal government gives the DEA additional resources to investigate cartels.

“These drugs are so potent these days. I mean, we were up to eight out of 10 pills that we were seizing at the DEA lab that could cause an overdose, it fluctuates,” Arnett said.

WDSU was given exclusive access to a DEA operation in the metro area. The video can be found above. In addition, WDSU Reporter Anum Siddiqui interviewed one of several undercover agents working in New Orleans. Part two of WDSU’s ‘Cartel Crackdown’ series will air Friday night at 6 p.m. on WDSU News.

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After 34 years behind bars, a domestic violence survivor walked free. Why is she still the only one?

By Kilee Thomas

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    OKLAHOMA (KOCO) — With a new Oklahoma law came a second chance for survivors of domestic violence, but only one success story has come from it.

The Oklahoma Survivors Act was designed to reduce the sentences of domestic abuse survivors who committed a crime against their abuser. Lisa Wright, who was in prison for 34 years at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center for her role in her husband’s death, has been the only person released under the new law.

Other survivors are still being denied early release.

Lisa’s story

A lot has changed since 1990. Cellphones, the internet and even the dome at the Oklahoma state Capitol are all new for Wright.

Wright now walks free for the first time in decades. She was sentenced to prison for killing her husband, Mike Moss.

“Sitting on a life without the possibility of parole sentence, no one ever anticipated that I’d be out, much less be the only woman out on the Oklahoma Survivors Act,” Wright said.

On Jan. 8, 2025, a Seminole County judge granted her relief. She became the first ever case to win under the Oklahoma Survivors Act.

“Oh, gosh. When the judge said, ‘Time served. Free to go.’ Like, I get emotional about that because I wasn’t quite sure it was going to happen. I remember sitting in the courtroom holding Colleen’s hand, my attorney, and as the judge is declaring the verdict, and I jump up and hug her, and the next person I see is my daughter. It was a long time coming. She was five when I went in,” Wright said.

For years, court records show Wright was sexually, physically, psychologically and financially abused. The details are too graphic for distribution.

“Once I got pregnant, things just escalated, and my daughter and I were both abused,” Wright said.

Her 5-year-old daughter was also being molested. Wright initially kept it a secret because she was afraid of her husband, but she ended up reporting the abuse to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and the district attorney.

Nothing was done.

Eventually, she told her brother, Richard, about what was happening.

On Jan. 17, 1990, court records say that Richard shot Moss and staged it as a robbery. Richard pleaded guilty, and he received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Wright received the same sentence despite not being the person who fired the gun.

“I don’t think anyone wanted to hear what happened. They just wanted conviction,” Wright said. “There were a lot of people that were hurt because I didn’t handle things the right way, and I knew that I had to figure out how to live inside prison, so I didn’t really believe–I always prayed for–there was always a slim sliver of hope, but for the most part I knew that was probably my fate.”

Three decades later, in 2024, that sliver of hope emerged from the Oklahoma state Capitol.

The Oklahoma Survivors Act grants victims of domestic abuse who committed a crime against their abuser a shot at a sentence reduction if that abuse played a significant contributing factor in the crime.

“What was different from the initial trial to this one?” KOCO’s Kilee Thomas asked Wright.

“I was heard. Someone wanted to hear what happened, and someone believed us,” Wright said. “We kept trying to tell what happened back in 1990, and no one wanted to hear, not even my attorney. I was silenced back then, and I don’t want to be silenced anymore.”

What is the law?

State Rep. Danny Williams co-authored the Oklahoma Survivors Act.

“It’s hard to change, but when people change, there should be a reward for that,” Williams said.

When the Oklahoma Survivors Act came across the lawmaker’s desk, he thought of Wright.

“I actually taught her Sunday school class back in the day, so I knew the family, and I knew her circumstances,” Williams said. “She made one mistake that changed the trajectory of her life, so how much do you need to pay for one mistake?”

After 34 years, her abuse was heard, and her freedom was granted.

Wright thought she would be a beacon of change for other survivors, but that hasn’t happened.

“You’re the only person in Oklahoma who has been granted relief under the Oklahoma Survivors Act. Why do you think that is?” Kilee asked Wright.

“It so saddens my heart that the other ladies are not out. I thought that this would open the floodgates and I would be first to pave the way and that everyone else would come right behind me,” Wright said.

Two recent denials have sparked questions about the initial intent and language of the bill.

“It’s heartbreaking, and that’s not the intent of the law,” Wright said.

Colleen McCarty, executive director of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said the Oklahoma Survivor Act is being misunderstood in the courtroom.

“This isn’t a stand your ground. It’s not a self-defense. It’s not a battered women’s syndrome defense,” McCarty said. “It is something that has been sort of confused with some of those other defenses to say, ‘Well, they need to be in fear of their life, or they needed to have been not able to escape, or they needed to have been actively being abused when they created the crime,’ and that is not the case.”

Williams said there shouldn’t be a gray area when it comes to the law.

“When a judge is making an evaluation, it has to be based on the law, not on opinions, not on emotions. It needs to be based on fact,” Williams said. “Are the circumstances large enough to contribute to a modified sentence? That’s the question.”

To date, Wright is the sole survivor who has won her case under the Oklahoma Survivors Act.

“We’re not trying to prove guilt or innocence. We’ve already been proven guilty, and the Oklahoma Survivors Act, it doesn’t take away that guilt. It doesn’t take away that felony conviction. All it does is say, ‘You were a victim of domestic violence, and that’s why you committed your crime, and you deserve a little relief,'” Williams said.

Lisa’s fight continues

Despite that, Wright has sat in every hearing so far, offering support to other women who have that same sliver of hope she once did.

“Do you still have hope that this Oklahoma Survivors Act will work?” Kilee asked.

“Yeah, I have faith to believe that it will,” Wright said.

It has been almost a year since Wright was released from prison. KOCO spoke to her the day the judge granted her freedom.

“Don’t give up. Trust God that there is a way. People believe them. They’re fighting for them on the other side. We are fighting for them on the other side and just don’t give up,” Wright said after she was released.

Wright now has a passport, and she took her first flight to be reconnected with her daughter.

But Wright said her biggest dream is to walk back into prison and bring hope to other survivors of domestic abuse, telling them that there is a second chance at life.

“For me, these women have been silenced. They were silenced going through the abuse. They were silenced probably through the court system. I know I was, and they deserve their voice to be heard. They deserve an opportunity to have their voices heard and believed,” Wright said.

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