"God was with me," Margarita Fuentes said.
86-year-old Fuentes recalled in vivid detail the horrifying robbery that was captured on surveillance video.
Police are still searching for the man in the video who carried out the vicious attack.
It happened on East 121st Street in broad daylight.
In the video you see the man pulling Margarita by her neck, dragging her, and then tossing the frail woman on the ground.
"And this time, he put his arm around me, and I started to scream and to fight him, and that's when he yanked the chain and pushed me to the ground," Fuentes said.
The block in East Harlem is filled with elderly and disabled residents, because they live in a nearby high-rise.
Margarita, who has osteoporosis and severe arthritis, described how she was cut and bruised on her face.
Then shockingly, in the video, the robber decides to turn around, and help Margarita back up, but never gets her money or her shopping back from the grocery store.
"I don't know what to call myself, but I know when I have to defend myself. I have to do what I have to do," Fuentes said.
Police say the suspect is a Hispanic man in his 30's, about 5'9" and 180 lbs.
The good news for Margarita is that the robber didn't even get away with her necklace.
"When I was in the hospital, the chain was in my brazier, stuck! So he didn't take it," Fuentes said.
She said the suspect actually made contact with her 40 minutes before the attack out on the street, but she was able to brush him off the first time.
While the attack was terrifying, Margarita remains in good spirits and said it's from enduring life's challenges.
"Imagine raising 5 children without a father! That's tough enough, that's tough enough yes," Fuentes said.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
You can also submit your tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting your tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.
All calls are strictly confidential.