It was her dream to come to the United States and build bridges.  Her family scraped together everything they had to make it happen because they believed in Arpita Kurdekar – her smarts, her talent, her artistic ability, and her courage.

And the dream came true.  She came to Buffalo, New York in 2014 to complete her Masters in Civil Engineering and to pursue a career here in her field.  After applying to nearly 400 internships, she won a top placement with the Department of Transportation in Concord, New Hampshire the summer of 2015. She graduated with a 3.9 in May and her mother flew from India to celebrate her daughter's incredible achievement.  In March of 2016, she started working full time with a prominent engineering firm in Concord.  Everything was perfect.  She found a room in a beautiful house downtown, she got her first car, she spent the summer showing her mom the beaches and sites of beautiful New England, and she started thinking about marriage.  At 25 years old, it seemed nothing could stop this beautiful and brilliant young woman.

But life is fragile and unpredictable and we are all just one instant away from that moment which can change our dreams forever.

On September 19th 2016, while walking down her driveway on her way to the gym after work, Arpita was struck by a large tree branch that fell from four stories above.  Her neck was broken instantly and she was paralyzed.  When she was found, she was conscious and able to speak.  Her roommate called 911 and she was rushed to the hospital ICU where doctors put her on a breathing ventilator and assessed her injury.  Luckily, there was no brain damage beyond a small bleed, and the spinal injury was not the most severe type of injury imaginable.   Her parents flew from India within 25 hours of her admission to the ICU and they have been at her bedside nearly every moment since.  Concerned friends and family members in the States flew in to be with her the first few days from California, New Jersey, and Baltimore.  Several of them were able to stay a few days to be with her for her 26th birthday on Friday, September 23rd, which Arpita celebrated in the ICU with cake and song and balloons and cheer.   One friend made a crown that said PRINCESS TENACIOUS for her, and we think there couldn't be a better title for this determined young woman.

There is a long journey of rehabilitation and recovery ahead for Arpita. At this point doctors aren’t sure if she’ll get full use of her arms or if she’ll ever walk again.  But one thing is certain – the family knows Arpita and they know her powerful drive to succeed.  Her family and friends know that Arpita will use her courage and strength in miraculous ways. Everyone expects positive outcomes in the next year and while those exact outcomes are yet unknown, the community of support rising up around Arpita is growing large and fast.  We expect to soon see her breathing on her own, speaking (a lot!), and using her arms (even more than she is now) to hug us and to design bridges, to paint (she’s an amazing artist) and to cook delicious curries, and of course to clap to Bollywood songs and sing along with Taylor Swift!

“Arpita has the courage to face this new life and the challenges it brings her but she's going to need a lot of help over the coming months,” says family friend and advocate, Dr. Whitney Howarth (Professor of History, Plymouth State University), “Our goal is to help her regain the physical strength she needs to be independent again.  To do that, we'll need financial resources and time.  The next step is to get her into a physical rehabilitation center so she can begin the long road to recovery.”

If you are interested in supporting Arpita and her family, please visit her Facebook Page: Arpita’s Recovery Community. https://www.facebook.com/ArpitasRecoveryPage/  and her GO FUND ME PAGE:  (link)  https://www.gofundme.com/arpitafund

“We hope you'll take this journey with us and contribute whatever time, prayers, money, and support you can,” says Whitney, “We know that she's going to keep building bridges – in our hearts, connecting us in new and miraculous ways.”

 

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