Once Again, Residents Rise To The Cause
To Help Others In Need In Our Community
by Sam Fran Scavuzzo
LOGAN TWP. -- When his eldest daughter sustained
life-threatening injuries, the community was the last thing on Adam
Boroughs’ mind. However, this group of virtual strangers proved the true
meaning of neighbor and made the ordeal all the more possible to endure.
Shaquanah Boroughs was riding home from vocational
school Monday April 23 when her bus was struck by a Nissan Maxima on
Rainey Road and Oldman’s Creek Road in Woolwich Township. Sustaining
serious injuries, the fifteen-year Kingsway student was airlifted to
Cooper Medical Center in Camden, according to Woolwich police.
Shaquanah was in a class-four coma for four days. The
doctors told Adam that 90 percent of patients in that condition remained
in a permanent vegetative state. After four days, however, Shaquanah
emerged from the darkness.
“This was nothing short of a miracle,” Adam said.
“Especially when you consider that people can be dead in a class three
coma.”
Doctors from Cooper diagnosed Shaquanah with diffuse
axonal injury. This is a brain injury which occurs when a person that is
rapidly accelerating deaccelerates suddenly, according to Adam.
Immediately after emerging from the coma, Shaquanah
began rehabilitation and was transferred to Children Hospital of
Philadelphia Saturday April 28.
“She knew where she was, she could carry
conversations,” Amy Boroughs, Shaquanah’s mother, said. “Everything was
going to be OK.”
Adam and Amy Boroughs, both 37, reside in Logan
Township with their six children – three boys and three girls – of varying
ages from three to 15. Adam is the director of marketing for the
University of Pennsylvania Health Systems in Philadelphia. He received a
bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova in 1993. Amy is a homemaker.
“Neighbors throughout the ‘new town’ (area) have
responded in remarkable ways in our time of need,” Adam said.
“We are lucky to be part of this community,” Amy
said. “It’s been a real blessing. Everyone has let us focus entirely on
Shaquanah and our other children.”
Since the accident, the Boroughs received gift cards
from local businesses, get-well cards from all their children’s classes,
flowers from the Kingsway School Board, among many other food and paper
products from various members of the community.
An example of the area’s extraordinary hospitality
was demonstrated one night when the Boroughs were coming back from the
hospital and needed to go to the grocery store. Amy called her sister to
tell her she was going to pick up milk.
“She told me not to worry about it, someone had
already dropped some off,” Amy said.
“We were overwhelmed with food,” Adam said.
Town mayors, school officials, teachers and local
congregations have sent countless donations and gift baskets to the
Boroughs. They have also provided support.
“People would call us offering rides for our other
children to practices,” Amy said. “Teacher’s were tuned into our needs and
have been so supportive.”
On the day of the accident, Shaquanah was returning
home from Salem County Vocational and Technical School where she is
studying nursing. Adam said that although Shaquanah appreciated the
recovery process, she looks forward to her next hospital visit on the
other side of things – as a nurse.
The driver of the Nissan, Maria SanClemente, was
charged by the Woolwich Township Police with running a stop sign, causing
her to slam into the side of the bus. She is being charged with careless
driving.
In addition to Shaquanah, six students and a bus
driver were injured in the accident. All others have returned to school,
according to Kingsway Regional School District Superintendent Ave
Altersitz. On the day of the accident, school administrators visited
students at the various hospitals they were transferred.
“In this school we treat everyone like our children
and are happy (that she is recovering),” Altersitz said.
Diane Cundard, the bus driver, has not returned to
work, said Walt Leibfarth owner of Walt’s Bus Service. The 2004 GMC
mid-bus she drove was totaled.
Now Shaquanah has been released into day program for
rehabilitation. She spends days at the center and returns home nightly to
be with her family. However, she will not be returning to school for the
remainder of the year. Shaquanah will not be left back though, said
Altersitz.
That’s fine with Shaquanah. “She kept asking me if
she had to be a freshman again,” Amy said. Now she won’t have to.
The Boroughs can slowly get back to living normally
again. They haven’t forgotten what their neighbors have done, though.
“The past few weeks have been trying for us,” Adam
said. “Something like this shows why community really matters. A lot of
times this side of the story is lost.” |
