Only in Orlando for about a month, Gabby Murillo of West Haven, CT, was living her dream: the 22-year old student at Gateway Community College had landed the internship she had always wanted – as an intern in Disney’s College Program. “She is obsessed with Disney,” Gabby’s sister Jennifer told Fox affiliate WTIC. “She’s been trying to get into this college program for probably four years. And, when she got that acceptance letter, we were over the moon for her.”
But what should have been the time of her life was violently stolen from her by a drunk driver last weekend, when the car Gabby was traveling in was hit “at full speed” by a truck while she and a friend were stopped at a red light on Saturday. According to Jennifer, the driver fled the scene of the accident but was caught by police, leaving her sister paralyzed from the neck down with “fractured vertebrae (that) severed the spinal cord.”
“The result of this horrific event has left Gabby with a spinal cord C3, C4 & C5 vertebrae injury along with her nerves completely severed,” according to a GoFundMe page created to help Gabby and her family with mounting medical costs. The campaign has already raised over $75,000 in three day, and will help Gabby and her family with immediate medical, travel and hotel expenses. As Gabby “begins to navigate her life in a specialized wheelchair,” the family’s home will need to be “modified along with specialized equipment for simple day-to-day activities.”
On the GoFundMe page, Jennifer explains that her sister’s “strength and determination has allowed her to successfully undergo two major surgeries. She is currently in ICU on a ventilator awaiting to see if she can breathe on her own. With the help of your prayers, our hope is for Gabby to eventually be strong enough to undergo spinal rehabilitation where she will begin the journey of discovering a new normal.”
Speaking with WTIC, Gabby’s sister sent her words of encouragement, “Where there’s a will, there is a way,” said Jennifer. “And we’re going to get you back to walking and moving your arms. I’m positive about that. “
ANY DONATION WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN GABBY’S JOURNEY.
Thank you!
