78-year-old Penelope Katsavos who was brutally bashed and left bleeding on the steps of her church, may never fully recover from her horrific injuries.
Penelope was opening Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra, Melbourne at 6am on Saturday, as she had done for the past 30 years, when she was viciously attacked by 'gutless' thugs.
When she approached the entrance, a male and a female approached her trolley before the man punched her and pushed her to the ground.
As she laid helpless, the man then started kicking her, before the pair fled the scene - leaving her lying on the steps where she was found 30 minutes later by a street cleaner who then called police.
The grandmother-of-six suffered a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain in two spots.
She is now in a stable condition in hospital recovering from her injuries, but there are fears she may never fully recover from the attack.
"It saddens me to talk about... to think about the pain that she actually went through," her son Evri told 7NEWS.
"It’s just real gutless to hit anyone, let alone an elderly person... defenceless."
Penelope is the full-time carer for her husband Thomas, who has dementia and the attack has meant she may not be able to care for her husband again.
Her daughter-in-law said she has remained positive throughout the ordeal.
"She is eternally positive, but that's just her nature. But she's very unwell," she told 3AW.
"We're just shocked … and just devastated for her. We want the people who did this to be found, so firstly they can't do it to anyone else and that they're held accountable for what they've done," she continued.
Evri said the family was inspired by his mother's strength. "We know that’s she’s very strong and she makes us all strong as well," he said.
Anyone who has any information about the incident, is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
*More on GCT: 78-year-old Greek woman has been viciously attacked on the stairs outside her church
