Self-defense class raises funds for acid attack victim

Bethany Storro’s parents, Nancy and Joe Neuwelt, after cancelling a planned appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, attended a women’s self-defense class at Anytime Fitness at Esther Short Park on Friday evening — a fundraiser the club’s operators organized to help pay costs from Storro’s facial burns.

Storro, 28, was found suffering from acid burns to her face about 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 30, on Columbia Street just north of West Eighth Street and the park. She told rescuers and police that a woman she didn’t know walked up to her and threw acid in her face.

As Vancouver police officers and Major Crimes Unit detectives began their investigation of the alleged attack, Storro was treated for facial injuries at the Oregon Burn Center at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. She and her family held press conferences at the hospital and Storro later was released.

Outside the fitness club Friday evening, the Neuwelts stood before news cameras before the class and thanked a long list of people and businesses that helped raise money for Storro’s medical treatments.

“I just want to say ‘thank you’ to the community,” Nancy Neuwelt said. “It’s been incredible.”

As for Storro, her mother said, “She’s doing better and she’s amazing. I took her out for a little bit today. We went to get a coffee and get out in the fresh air. She’s doing better, and people were coming up and just encouraging her.”

“If anything, Bethany is going to become stronger from this, even a better person,” Joe Neuwelt said. “People love her and people will continue to love her.”

They did not respond to reporters’ questions about why the family cancelled the Oprah interview, which had been scheduled for next Thursday, and walked inside the fitness club.

Inside, where news crews were not admitted, about 50 or more women and at least one little girl sat in chairs and on the floor as men taught women’s self-defense lessons.

At times, the women paired up and practiced hand-to-hand self-defense moves, including pushing someone away and blocking an assailant with their arms.

Afterwards, Tracy and John Pax, owners of the fitness club, said the class went well and some women said they felt empowered by the lessons.

The class included “ a lot of things to look out for,” Tracy Pax said. “Some different signals that would trigger your intuition, about how to pinpoint things out there and avoid it, so they don’t get into a confrontation.”

Tracy Pax said Storro’s parents had asked that news crews outside not be admitted into the class because it would be distracting.

“With all the cameras and stuff, we wanted to keep the inside focused on the class at hand so the people in there could get a good life lesson,” she said. “We wanted to leave this whole media stuff out there so we were not focused on that.”

Anyone with information in the Storro case is asked to call Detective Wally Stefan at 360-487-7425.

John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.