A utility tower, bedecked with get-well soon cards from members of the community, stands near the site of the accident. Hundreds of well-wishing emails, letters and social media posts have been written and shared. Numerous hospital visits and generous donations to cover medical bills have been made. And the love, thought and prayer for Gabriela Rosales keeps pouring in.
Two weeks after Rosales was struck by a car while crossing N. Williamson Avenue, the Elon community continues to send outpouring support for recovery from her critical injuries.
In response to the community’s assistance and care for Rosales and her family, Chaplain Fuller announced Monday the creation of a CaringBridge account, a forum that will provide updates on her condition. The Chaplain’s Discretionary Fund, a designated Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life account that provides assistance to members of the Elon community experiencing difficulties, will also direct funds toward some of Rosales’ medical bills. Members of the community have been invited to donate to the account in honor of Rosales.
With the support of her family, who traveled from her hometown in Nicaragua, and Elon faculty and staff, Rosales continues to receive care at UNC Hospital. As of Monday night, the CaringBridge account reported that Rosales remains stable with CAT scans yielding positive results and doctors slowly working to take her off the ventilator machine. According to a representative from UNC Hospital, Rosales is still in critical condition.
As the community continues to monitor her progress, strangers, classmates and professors have united in support of Rosales during this difficult time.
But the news hit Elon alumnus, Toorialey Fazly ‘14, especially hard. In the news of Rosales’ accident, he was reminded of an ordeal he faced four years ago.
Only 15 days after arriving on campus in 2010, Fazly was struck by a car near the intersection of Haggard and Williamson. Thrown off his bike, he collided with the car’s windshield and fell to the ground, sustaining several critical injuries including a broken neck and a broken leg.
“At first, I could not speak, but I could see,” Fazly recalled. “The woman [who hit me] came out of the car, asked if I was okay and then drove off.”
As an international student from Afghanistan, Fazly said despite having no family members in the continent and only a few established friends at Elon, the extensive support from strangers and peers alike helped bridge the distance from home.
Receiving more than 250 cards on the first day of the accident, he quickly realized he was far from alone. During his four month recovery period, hundreds more letters, emails and text messages from friends and strangers came pouring in. Classmates took notes on lectures he missed, countless people visited him during his recovery, and friends and strangers alike sent him homemade baked goods.
“I had to deal with the pain, that was something else,” he said. “But knowing I had the support made this environment home for me.”
Fazly said he wanted the community to know that as a victim of a similar incident, he truly and cordially appreciated the help and support he received during his recovery.
“More than anything else, the support was what helped me most in the process of getting better and healed,” he said. “It mattered to me back then and it will continue to matter to me for the rest of my life.”
As it did for Fazly, the support for Rosales from the community was immediate. Only three days after her accident, the community came together to raise funds for Rosales’ medical expenses through a series of profit shares held on March 19.
Vivian Splawn, a worker at All That JAS, said the support was heartwarming.
“We were getting Internet orders from schools all around the country,” she said. “We had a broad-range of people coming together to support Gabriela.”
The store, which specializes in Greek merchandise and customizable gifts, raised a total of $1,200 for Rosales’ recovery.
“It could have happened to anyone and it could have happened anywhere,” Splawn said.
The Oak House also participated in the profit share, making an exception for their rule to avoid profit shares for their first year.
“We initially started this year ruling out profit shares because we felt we are new and still learning the business,” said co-owner Phil Smith. “But because of the situation and the support her family needed, we did not hesitate to make an exception for Gabriela.”
The coffee shop directed 10 percent of every order on March 19 to Rosales’ family, raising a total of $250.
“A lot of people came and said, ‘This is for Gabi,’” Smith said. “I thought that all the support was really indiciative of the kind of community we have at Elon.”