CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Staff and students at a Cherokee County elementary school are coming together to help a student paralyzed in a car accident.
Students and teachers from Knox Elementary School, as well as the Cherokee County community, are trying to make sure when kindergartner Monica Lunn gets out of the hospital, her home is ready for her.
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Monica is known as a loving girl who’s full of life. But the 6-year-old’s life changed forever when she was in a car accident not even a block away from school.
“It was a school day, about 7:10 in the morning, and a lot of our families were arriving for school,” Principal Tammy Sandell said.
Monica’s mother was traveling down Highway 20 and making a left to get to the school when their vehicle was hit by a car coming from the other direction.
“Horrible for a 6-year-old to now be confined to a wheelchair and on a respirator for life. On the other hand, we’re excited because I didn’t even know if she was going to make it,” Sandell said.
Sandell says every time she’s visited Monica at the hospital, she’s been in good spirits and all smiles.
“She’s going to need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle ... (and) she needs to have ramps for her house. They’re in a two-story house. She needs a chairlift because her bedroom is on the second floor and she’ll need a roll-in shower,” Sandell said.
So far, Home Depot has agreed to donate the materials for the ramps and others have agreed to cover the labor.
The school is still hoping to raise close to $100,000. It’s accepting donations and planning a fundraiser in the coming weeks.
Cox Media Group
