Christa Pike describes ongoing pain one month after failed lethal injection

Christa Pike, who survived a failed lethal injection execution attempt in Tennessee last month, has made her first public statement describing ongoing pain and recovery. Pike said she has experienced constant physical pain and struggles to speak since waking up confused in a hospital after the procedure, PBS NewsHour reported.

Pike, 50, was given two doses of pentobarbital during the execution attempt on September 30 for the 1995 murder of her classmate. She said she entered the execution chamber prepared to die in peace and had not contemplated life beyond that night, according to CBS News.

Her lawyers reported that she suffered burns and blisters on her arms and hands, and she was hospitalized with pneumonia and a blood clot. Pike was initially unconscious and unable to move her arms or hands but has since begun walking and was discharged back to prison for further treatment, CBS News detailed.

Pike expressed gratitude toward medical workers who saved her life and those who have shown her kindness. She also acknowledged the pain endured by her victim's family and called the failed execution a result of "incompetence," as reported by PBS NewsHour.

Following the botched execution, Tennessee's governor called for an investigation, postponed other scheduled executions, and the state's prison chief resigned, according to PBS NewsHour. Pike said she is trying to heal one day at a time and is holding onto the support she has received.

The statement marks Pike's first public comments since the failed execution and highlights the physical and emotional toll she continues to endure, NBC News noted.