HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. — A Haralson County woman who has triumphed over tremendous suffering took the national spotlight Monday on the Dr. Oz show.
Courtney Waldon was severely burned while sitting by a campfire. Now she’s being praised for her courage.
People from the tiny Haralson County town of Tallapoosa told Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen that when you live in farm country, most everyone knows you, and people from the rural community have opened their hearts, to lift up one of their own.
Few have faced the challenges Waldon has. Perhaps even fewer would express such gratitude.
"I'm so humbled and grateful for everything. I never imaged when this happened (that) ... I was going to be so blessed," Waldron told Petersen.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Witness says father of baby found dead in woods yelled 'I didn't do it' before arrest
- KSU cheerleaders not on field for national anthem after video shows some kneeling
- Witnesses: Woman who hit teen checked car damage then drove off
On Sept. 30, 2016, Waldron was celebrating her two-month wedding anniversary. But when her husband tried to restart a small campfire in their yard, she was burned over 40 percent of her body.
After 51 days in the hospital, she said, he filed for divorce.
"I was with her through all of this. When it first happened, she wouldn't go out in public," sister Lindsey Kilgore told Petersen.
Waldron was interviewed by Doctor Oz. The show aired Monday.
Oz praised Waldron’s courage and presented her with a $5,000 gift card to fill her new home with furniture and a new swing set for her 4-year-old daughter Caroline, who Waldron calls her reason to carry on.
"She's been amazing. Showing me the love every step of the way, even when I didn't think I could get through it. She's the reason I did," Waldron told Oz.
Courtney and her daughter hope to move into their new home next month.
Dr. Oz airs at 3 p.m. Monday-Friday on Channel 2.