The Big Apple nurse who survived the coronavirus only to be beaten and robbed on her way to work has received an outpouring of support from people shocked by her harrowing attack — with many asking if they could send her donations.
“That would be so nice I don’t even have money for the rent,” Martha Toscano, 60, told The Post by phone Friday afternoon.
Toscano, who works at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, had just gotten out of the 6 train station on her way to work Wednesday evening around 10:30 p.m. when about 15 thugs ran her down and pummeled her to the ground.
The healthcare worker had been out of work for two weeks after catching COVID-19 and had only been back for a few days when the attack happened.
Toscano said she’d been fielding calls all morning from people checking to see how she’s doing and is extremely grateful for the support, but still shaken from the beatdown.
“I am so nervous right now,” Toscano, a mom of three, said.
“I could not sleep at all … I feel like the guys are still following me.”
Her fiance, Romulo Coronel, said she’s been having nightmares about the attack.
“Every time she closes her eyes she was waking up in the middle of the night screaming ‘stop, stop, no.’ The trauma is getting into her dreams and she was waking up all night long,” Coronel said.
“So far she is doing better than yesterday, she has body aches all over because of the attack, but it could be a lot worse but thank God she is doing a lot better.”
Toscano said she’s been taking Tylenol and using an ice pack for the pain.
“I’m getting a little bit better. I have a lot of bumps on my head. I have a lot of pain,” the healthcare worker said.
Police arrested three people behind the savage encounter — all residents of a nearby group home managed by the Administration for Children’s Services, sources previously said.
Two girls, ages 14 and 15, were taken into custody, along with 19-year-old Deshaun Harrison, who’s facing two counts of felony robbery, according to sources and records. He already has two open cases for felony assault, robbery and grand larceny, records show.
The rest of the assailants remain outstanding.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy