Waukesha Woman Burned In Attack Will Skydive To Mark 1 Year

WAUKESHA, WI — A Waukesha woman who was burned in an unprovoked attack in September 2020 plans to mark the day's anniversary by skydiving.

Amber Fuller, 31, told Patch the anniversary was always in the back of her mind. She called it her "burnversary."

A year ago on Sept. 2, Fuller was walking her dogs in Waukesha when a man she didn't know attacked her and set her on fire.

Joel Murn pleaded no contest in July to attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of arson of property, all felonies, in Waukesha County Circuit Court, according to court documents. He is to be sentenced in October.

Fuller suffered second- and third-degree burns on her back, abdomen and right arm.

Because of Fuller's burns and the pandemic, she hasn't been able to go many places. She also has to cover up her burns and can't be in direct sunlight.

Jumping out of a plane was always on Fuller's bucket list. Another item on her list was traveling.

"Thinking places I want to visit makes me sad," Fuller said. "I think, 'Well, I can't do that.'"

Skydiving seemed to be the logical choice to observe the anniversary.

The activity was always connected to a milestone birthday or other special occasion, she said. Her birthday is in February, and she never had a big event to celebrate in the summer, so she plans to go skydiving by herself and record it to give her a sense of empowerment.

"If I do it by myself, I will be more emotionally connected," Fuller said.

Fuller wants to leap out of a plane to gain a sense of freedom.

"Even if it is only 10 minutes that I'm hanging from a parachute," she said.

Back To Work

For a year after the attack, Fuller's life consisted of visits to the doctor, interviews and court dates. When she was at home, she would just lie around.

Because of the extent of her injuries, some of which have required skin grafts, she was unable to return to work until recently.

She has six to eight laser surgeries still ahead of her. What has helped her recovery was returning to work, she said.

"It gave me a sense of normalcy, which was difficult after the pandemic," she said.

Fuller has worked as a massage therapist for One Source Wellness & Chiropractic in Brookfield for the past four years. The clinic hosted several fundraisers to support her.

"A lot of my clients are friends, and you have all these relationships. It was difficult to not be able to talk to these people," she said.

She feels lucky to belong to such a supportive workplace. Fuller doesn't believe she would be given as much time anywhere else to cope with what happened.

Her colleagues understand if she is having a panic attack or a difficult day.

"Anywhere else, they maybe wouldn't be as accepting with the amount of time I had to take off or my physical capabilities of doing the job," she said.

Since the incident, Fuller hasn't worked as many hours as the four or five 60-to-90-minute sessions she used to. Recently, she has worked up to one or two 60-minute sessions per client again.

"Many places are about the money than taking care of their employees. I felt very fortunate I was working there for a while before this happened," she said.

Community Support

The community's support has also been a blessing for Fuller. Many people reached out with different resources for therapy and financial resources.

Hearing from other people who have suffered post-traumatic stress makes Fuller feel less alone.

"There have been so many people who have gone through traumatic things that they just don't share. You would never know unless they told you," she said.

Fuller is also thankful for her two pups, BB and Brady. Sudden noise or the sound of someone running behind her can frighten Fuller.

"They have definitely have been by my side," she said of her pets. Fuller teared up and BB pawed her legs and whined. They give her plenty of kisses and wipe away her tears, she added.

She loves interacting with people and still smiles, despite the physical pain she experiences.

"I like people, so that helps," she said.