Cambridge Publishing Honors Debra Puglisi Sharp for Invaluable Service to Humanity
Debra Puglisi Sharp advocates for victims of violence nationwide


LEWES, DE, March 09, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Debra Puglisi Sharp, Inspirational Speaker, Author and Registered Nurse, has been recognized by Cambridge Who's Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in victim advocacy.

In April 1998, Debra Puglisi Sharp--wife, nurse, and mother of teenage twins--was tending the roses in her garden when a factory worker with a cocaine habit slipped in through an open door and waited for her to come in. Nino, her husband of twenty-five years, got in the way and was shot. The man then attacked and raped Debra, placed her in the trunk of his car, and drove away. Kept hog-tied in her abductor's house, Debra finally learned of her husband's murder from a newscast on a radio that the man blared to muffle her screams while he was out. After five excruciating days, Debra's mounting rage at her captor--and the wrenching thought of her children burying their father alone--gave her the courage and strength she desperately needed. She loosened her ties, groped her way to the phone...and dialed 911.

In the ten years proceeding Debra's courageous rescue, she has become a national symbol of survival. She has shared her story all over the country, speaking about the pain and anger that resonates after a violent crime. She is an inspirational advocate for victims of violence and has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, Montel, The John Walsh Show, A&E Biography and other national and regional talk shows. Ms. Puglisi Sharp is also the author of "Shattered: Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2003. "Shattered" has been published in Sweden and Denmark, and has been made required reading for victimology courses in several universities.

Determined to reclaim her life and serve as a role model for her now adult twins, Debra has used her experiences to help others. For five years, she served as the public representative for the 911 Enhancement Board in Delaware, appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. She serves on the board of directors of the National Coalition of Victims in Action and is a board member of Contact Lifeline, actively working with the Sexual Assault Network of DE. On April 20, 2007, she was presented with the U.S. Attorney General's Special Courage Award through the Office for Victims of Crime in Washington, D.C. In 2010 she has several keynote/plenary appearances including the 3rd annual Forensic Investigations in March in Kansas City, MO, and the Spring Victim Assistance Conference in May in Little Rock, AR.

Debra is now remarried and has resumed her nursing career in end-of-life care. She lives with her husband, Bill Sharp, in Lewes, Delaware. To learn more about Debbie Puglisi Sharp and her story, please visit her website at www.puglisisharp.com.

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Ellen Campbell
Cambridge Who's Who
Public Relations
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