Woman body-shamed after a video of her being rescued from an icy lake was shared online

Korisa Miller was fishing off the docks near Beacon Cove Marina in Harrison Township when she lost her footing and fell into the 36-degree water below. Although a friend nearby quickly noticed her and realized that she was struggling in the icy water, the friend couldn't pull her up by themselves. Miller's body had gone numb in the cold water within minutes of the fall and she was unable to move her legs to hoist herself up. Two fishermen in the vicinity soon arrived to help but all they could do was keep her head above the water to stop her from drowning.

In a frightening rescue posted by the Macomb County Sheriff's Office on Facebook, Miller is seen desperately screaming for help as a law enforcement officer joined the fishermen to pull the panicked woman to safety. "Help me, I’m numb. I’m completely numb. I’m stuck," she cries as the men struggle to pull her out by her arms. Posting the video to Facebook on Tuesday, the Macomb County Sheriff revealed that Miller "lost her footing and slipped off the dock into the freezing water" while trying to stand up.

"The young lady is doing better today but wants to remind people to always fish with a partner and make sure you have proper, non-slip, footwear when you walking on any slippery surface. She is forever grateful to her friend and the fisherman that saved her life," officials stated. Although the video was meant to raise awareness about the dangers of going fishing cold conditions, it made Miller the target of online body-shaming as many commented on her weight and the outfit she is seen wearing in the clip.

Frustrated by the disturbing response to the video, Miller identified herself in the comments of the post to set the record straight, reports PEOPLE. "My knee bashed the dock and I hit the ice. It took only a few seconds for the ice to give in because as all of you have been saying I am a thick woman. The spot where I fell in the water was 12 feet deep and I had to hang on to stay alive," she wrote. "The moment you see on camera was after I started to fall asleep, and then I [saw] Officer Davis and knew I was going to be okay," Miller added.

Addressing the comments about why she was wearing just a tank top and leggings in the video, Miller clarified, "When they tried pulling me up, my hoodie and coat was choking me so they had to rip it off of me. I did not go fishing in a tank top." Speaking to the Detroit Free Press about the incident and the comments shaming her body, Miller said, "After going through such a traumatic experience and I almost died, this is what people have to say. I just think these people have no conscience anymore. People have no idea that I used to be 400 pounds and now I am the way I am." 

Taking to Facebook to acknowledge the body-shaming comments, Miller wrote, To all of the people who are body shaming me don’t forget it’s a big girl world Lizzo is one of the reasons how I am happy in my own skin. She is a queen!! Y’all are just little babies who need to hurt others because you can’t love yourself. I pray that no one has to go through this. The reason why I gave permission to show the video is to show awareness on how dangerous fishing can be. I am glad I am alive and share my story. This isn’t going to stop me from doing what I love. I am now keeping rope and life vests near me. So the Haters are going to hate and it isn’t going to get me because of my story someone will not make that mistake.