Sunnie Yu Project  

SF State International Student Paralyzed In Car Accident – Assistance Needed!

Sunnie is a member of Alliance Chinese Church in San Francisco. Please continue to pray for her and her parents. Thanks.   

Below is a link to Sunnie Yu's video

English (need to turn up the volume):

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnJ-rAxB-O8

ISI Volunteer Jeff O'Toole is helping fund rasing efforst.  He can be reached at

jotoole@sfsu.edu

(The following article is from SFSU Office of Internationl Programs)

On February 21, 2009, one of our MBA international students from China, Ms. Hua Jue Yu (Sunnie) was involved in a serious car accident while driving from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Sunnie experienced severe injuries and is now paralyzed from the waist down.

The SF State Chinese Students and Scholars Association has been leading a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the student and her family to help pay for her medical costs and other expenses through the “One Dollar Donation” movement.

The association's president, Wei Yu Huang, reported that they have already set up a medical fund for Sunnie in Bank of America. People interested can make check payable to “Hua Jie Yu Medical Fund” and mail it to: Attn: Hua Jie Yu Medical Fund, 28 Tapia Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA

The following is an English translation from a Chinese language article which provides more information about Sunnie and her condition. Please see the article below if you would be interested in learning how you can contribute towards a fund on Sunnie's behalf.

Seriously Injured San Francisco Chinese International Student Needs Immediate Assistance

Hua Jue Yu (Sunnie), a twenty-two years old international student from China who is pursuing a Master degree in Business Administration at San Francisco State University, was involved in a serious car accident while driving with her friend, Ying Yue, to the Great Canyon from Las Vegas on February 21 st , 2009. The car lost control on highway 64 and flipped before rolling off the road. Even though Sunnie was rescued afterward, she suffered serious injuries causing her to be paralyzed from trunk down even to this day. Sunnie is still being hospitalized in Phoenix and her parents have arrived from China to take care of her. Since Sunnie holds only student health insurance, the family is in immediate financial needs.

According to Sunnie's friend, Ying Yue, Sunnie's car lost control around noon and flipped two and a half turns in the air before landing. Fortunately, Ying Yue had only a slight injury, but Sunnie suffered serious injuries and was sent to the emergency room of John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoniex. After six hours of surgery, the chief neurologist diagnosed that more than 90% of the 5 th and 6 th cervical vertebrae, which control the movement from the neck down, were dislocated.

Currently, Sunnie has been transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit and is being treated in the rehabilitation center. Due to the injuries of the cervical vertebrate, Sunnie lost sensation from the trunk down, control of her fingers and bowel movements. She is also experiencing other health issues such as unstable blood pressure, difficulty in breathing and unsteady body temperature. Sunnie is now re-learning basic living skills under the guidance of physical and occupational therapists.

With the help of the Chinese Embassy and other organizations, Sunnie's parents were able to obtain an expedited visa and arrived in the United States from Shenzhen, Canton, seven days after the accident. They have since stayed with Sunnie everyday. Their housing and transportation needs are being warmly provided by new acquaintances from the Phoenix Chinese Alliance Church. Sunnie's mother is a teacher and her father is employed in a local company in Shenzhen. It would be impossible for her parents alone to pay for the medical and rehabilitation expenses.

To help others to learn about Sunnie's condition, Sunnie's mother started a blog about Sunnie's recovery process in Chinese. You can continue to read about Sunnie's condition at http://blog.sina.com.cn/sunniemom.

According to Sunnie's parents, the health insurance Sunnie purchased through the school has a cap of $250,000.00 and has already been depleted after the surgery and hospitalization. At the moment, it costs about $3,000.00 per day to stay in the hospital.

The Chinese Students and Scholars' Association at San Francisco State University is officially asking the Chinese community in the Bay Area to help meet Sunnie's needs through the “One Dollar Donation” movement. The association's president, Wei Yu Huang, reported that they have alreadyset up a medical fund for Sunnie in Bank of America. People interested can make check payable to “Hua Jie Yu Medical Fund” and mail it to: Attn: Hua Jie Yu Medical Fund, 28 Tapia Drive, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.

Furthermore, students from San Francisco State University have contacted the Chinese Students Associations throughout the United States to begin rising supports for Sunnie. For additional information, please contact Hong Yu Tong at 415-810-9589.