17 Years After Acid Attack, Dr. Phil's Sister-in-Law Dies

Cindi Broaddus was hit by acid thrown from overpass

Dr. Phil McGraw is shown in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

(NEWSER) – The sister-in-law of Dr. Phil McGraw has died, 17 years after the act of a malignant stranger changed her life forever. Cindi Broaddus was a sleeping passenger in a car being driven from Oklahoma to San Diego in 2001 when she was hit by a bottle of sulfuric acid somebody had dropped through the windshield from an overpass, People reports. She suffered horrific burns to 70% of her body, including her face, and spent three weeks in hospital, where she needed 12 surgeries and was told she only had a 30% chance of survival. After the random attack, she decided to reach out and help other people. "I've decided not to wake up every day bitter and angry," she said in a Dr. Phil appearance. McGraw is married to her sister, Robin.

Broaddus, the mother of three daughters, said she felt calm during the ordeal because she had a message she had to get through: "You have got to tell my children how much I love them and that I’m not ready to leave them." Broaddus, 68, died on Feb. 19 and was "brave to the end," according to an obituary in the Duncan Banner. In the years after the attack, Broaddus, who worked in sales for a cable company, co-authored A Random Act: An Inspiring True Story of Fighting to Survive and Choosing to Forgive, delivered numerous speeches, and spoke out at the United Nations against acid attacks, the Oklahoman reports. She said she had forgiven her attacker, who was never caught or identified.

Dr. Phil McGraw and wife Robin arrive at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Sunday Aug. 30, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)