1999 Cape Town Bombing Survivor Reflects On Attack, 20 Years Later

Denver (CBS4) - The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect on what many have to be thankful for, but it's also an occasion for some to celebrate a transformation.

"This little thing landed in my thigh," Olivia Milner described of a nail that had once been stuck in her leg.

CBS4 met Milner at her Life Day celebration at Axistence Athletics in southeast Denver. It just so happens this year's Thanksgiving Day coincided with her 20th anniversary of surviving a bomb blast.

"I'm here because I was injured in a pipe bombing 20 years ago," said Milner.

Milner was just 16, working at a pizza restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa.  It's still unclear who the bomb's intended target was, or why it was set, but it injured 48 people, and Milner was the most severely hurt.

"This nail was placed in the bomb by the bombers," said Milner. "They stacked it to cause as much damage as possible."

The blast burned 75 percent of Milner's body, and she lost her right foot.

"She was a talented pianist, a talented jazz clarinetist and her arm is in this position," Milner's mom, Elana Newman said. "A lot was taken away from her, I can't say it serves any purpose."

Newman's emotions are raw when she recalled what happened to her daughter, but she's been able to witness how Milner has tackled recovery, and turned a tragic event into motivation for achievement.

"This thing was intended to cause damage and it landed up in my body and my body said no no, you don't get to do damage, you're coming on adventure. You're going to travel, you're going to college," Milner explained.

In the years since she was injured, she's been able to chase her dreams, make many friends and let nothing stop her. She's become an inspiration for many, even some who don't have openly visible scars.

"I was in a plane 22 years ago, it crashed in Guam and 225 people died, and I'm one of the survivors," Jin Kwon said.

It's possible everyone has a life-changing anniversary according to Milner, she thinks most people don't go through life unscathed.

"Some of us have that in the sense that we almost died, and some of us has something different but it doesn't change the impact, and that's something that we can celebrate," said Milner.

The people responsible for the bombing have yet to be caught. Milner said she does not harbor anger toward her attackers. She told CBS4 she hopes they are sorry for what they did and have learned to become better people.