Adriena Wright has been hospitalized since last month when she was seriously injured in a crash on her way to Wisconsin Dells the day after prom. Wright broke several bones in the crash and is temporarily unable to walk.
Wright is graduating third in her class at East Chicago Central High School and says she has every intention of attending Sunday's ceremony despite her injuries.
Wright's car flipped over and landed on top of a van carrying nine people. They were not injured, nor was the passenger inside Wright's totaled car.
Wright was treated at the University of Wisconsin hospital and is now at Regency Hospital, a long-term care facility inside St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago.
Wright, 18, wants to graduate with the rest of her class this Sunday. She is currently hospitalized with two broken feet, broken ankles, a broken back, a fractured chest and right arm, as well as numerous lacerations.
Wright and her date were on their way to the Wisconsin Dells on May 22, the day after prom, when she was involved in a head-on collision.
"We hydroplaned...started flipping over and flipped onto an oncoming van in the other lane," Wright said. "I'm glad to be alive...it will be awhile before I can walk again."
"I had a feeling it was going to be bad," said mother Andrea Wright. "As long as she was alive I knew I could handle anything."
"My child has a child, so it is compounded, the grief and the fear, but we are so blessed that she is alive," said grandmother Cherlyn Davis.
Wright's hospital room is filled with pictures of her prom and her graduation gown is there as well. She says that helps keeps her going, along with her desire to graduate with the rest of her class on Sunday.
"My motivation since the accident is to get well enough so I can make it to my high school graduation," said Adriena. "If I cannot walk across the stage at least I can roll across."
Adriena is ranked third in a class of almost 300. She is president of the Honor Society and was planning to attend Butler University in the fall on a full scholarship and study pre-med.
"I am definitely getting a lot of experience going into pre-med," Adriena said. "But that is another goal that is driving me...to be able to learn how to walk again so I can attend school."
Adriena is forced to put off her college plans until the spring, but the school has agreed to hold her scholarship until she is able to attend.
The family is also trying to raise funds for rehab. It will probably be three months before Adriena is able to walk again. She will need a motorized wheelchair to attend college classes.
Wright only weighs 100 pounds. She knows she is very fortunate to be alive, especially after seeing pictures of her totaled automobile, and she says it is a miracle that no one else was injured.
Adriena knows the next three months will be very difficult, but she is ready for the task.
To donate to Adriena's family contact:
PNC Bank
East Chicago, Ind.
Mention the "We Care For Adriena Wright" fund
