The family and friends of 21-year-old Zulia Alimova are raising money for her medical treatment and rehabilitation therapy. Hopefully, after hearing her story, YOU will support her, too. She was severely injured in a car accident and left a paraplegic last year.
Her dream is to regain the liberty and joy from simply walking–a basic physical function many of us take for granted.
OUR ZULIA
Zulia is optimistic, ambitious, and wonderful. She graduated from The Bellevue College in spring 2011, a top student in her class. Zulia was thrilled to begin her junior year at the University of Washington that fall, with a career goal in accounting and business. Her future was so bright. Yet no one could have predicted her life today.
THE ACCIDENT
On July 6th, 2011, a single moment turned Zulia’s world completely upside down. She and her mother, Muhayo, were driving down a mountainside when the car brakes suddenly failed.
“I sat motionless in horror in the back of the car. Everything happened in seconds. The only thing I could remember was that the car was going downhill with an extremely high speed,” Zulia recalls. “And, that my mother, who was in driver’s seat, was terrified.”
Soon after that, the car veered off the cliff. Everything went black.
“The next thing I remembered was paramedics rescuing me out of the car,” Zulia continues. “As soon as I regained consciousness, I began searching for my mom. Then, I saw her. She was lifeless and lying on the ground covered with blood all over her face and body. At that point I had not yet realized that my mother, my best friend and soul mate, was no longer alive. If I knew that it would be the last time I would see her, I would have held her tight and told her how much I loved her.”
ZULIA’S PARALYSIS
The tragic loss of her mother shattered Zulia and the entire family. Yet fate had more in store for Zulia: doctors told Zulia her spinal cord injury would leave her a paraplegic, her lower body permanently paralyzed. Zulia and her family were devastated.
Despite this medical prognosis, Zulia will not give up. She has found great inner strength to strive forward. Zulia’s determination to never give up and her everyday efforts in recovery are the steppingstones to a new life.
“I know that my mother has been supporting me through this journey. She will always be with me,” says Zulia. “Deep inside, I believe I’ll be able to stand and walk again. I will. Even if everything works against me, as long as I have faith to recover I’m certain I will stand on my feet again.”
ZULIA’S RECOVERY — THERE IS HOPE!
Zulia’s tenacious attitude to recover is paying off: She has some gradual improvement in muscle activity in her legs. She can now slightly pull and push her legs. As a result of endless efforts, Zulia has even begun walking slowly on her knees–once an unimaginable accomplishment.
Also, Zulia visits the Pushing Boundaries therapy clinic in Redmond, WA, once a week. Due to not having an insurance to cover therapy expenses, she is able to receive only one hour session per week. This therapy is minimal compared to what she is recommended to receive in order to regain muscle strength to walk.
Zulia seeks to regain the liberty and joy from simply walking (a basic physical function many of us take for granted).
As always, Zulia is optimistic, but her hopes can only be realized with the help from generous and compassionate people like YOU. Please kindly contribute toward Zulia’s therapies and surgical treatment so she may stand and walk again! Any amount would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity and help!
WHERE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL GO:
• Intensive exercise based program at the Pushing Boundaries, a spinal cord injury recovery center: $100/hr x 3hrs/day x 5 days per week for 6 months =$36,000.
Note: At the end of the fundraising, if even the goal amount is not reached, the donations will still be used for her exercise therapy.
• Stem cell therapy and Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy with Dr. Luis Geffner at Equador: $30,000 A published stem cell research study shows that Adult Stem Cells implanted into Spinal Cord Injury patients is not only safe, but also improves their quality of life. www.spinalcordinjuryzone.com
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP ZULIA:
• Share Zulia’s story with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites
• Ask others to share Zulia’s story and let them know about our fundraising campaign for her.
• Remember to use Indiegogo sharing tools. This will help increase our rankings on the Indiegogo site and attract other contributors.
• You can even send an email with campaign link to your contacts and ask them to spread the word
To assist with the costs of therapy, and surgery, a fundraiser has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. All contributions are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive and administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click the “Donate Now” button. For more information, please contact HelpHOPELive at 800.642.8399.
Thanks for your support!
