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By Brett Hall, Columbia Campus Director
of Career Services
I
n the year and half prior to her accident,
Medical Assisting student Rosetta Spur-
geon had lost all four of her grandparents,
the last of which was her maternal grand-
mother with whom she was as close as her
own mother. The grieving process for the
loss of these family members sent her life
into a spiral of depression. Needing some-
thing bigger than herself to focus on, she
decided to enroll in college and focus her
energy on “The Big Picture” as she puts
it, a picture that included an education, a
new career, and a new life of stability for
her and her daughters.
In May of 2012, she enrolled at ECPI Uni-
versity’s Columbia campus. A few months
later, everything came to a screeching halt.
While driving out of downtown Colum-
bia, Rosetta rounded a blind curve only
to find another motorist stopped in the
lane directly in front of her. Her car hit
the stopped vehicle as the car behind her
struck her. After rolling twice and flipping
into the opposite direction, Rosetta’s car
came to a stop in the median. She awoke
to emergency personnel attempting to
assist her, using the Jaws of Life to cut
away sections of her car. She remembers
them cutting off her new Air Jordan shoes,
but few other memories of the accident
remain. She awoke again in the ICU with
extensive injuries, including numerous
lacerations, six broken ribs, a broken left
hip, femur, and knee.
Even as she listened to the doctors
describe her injuries – what she would
have to do to walk again, the number of
surgeries she would need to endure, the
possibility of having to amputate her leg,
the months of medication and physical
therapy that would follow – allowing her-
self to become physically or emotionally
crippled for life was simply not an option
she was going to accept. Her daughters,
her parents, and her faith in God were the
glue that held her together.
Although she still lives with the scars and
continuing pain, she continues to have
her sights set on “The Big Picture.” After
10 days in the ICU, followed by 20 days in
the hospital and countless surgeries and
physical therapy sessions, Rosetta was fi-
nally able to walk again. In August of 2013,
she returned to ECPI University to continue
her program. She is currently a campus
student worker and has proven to be an
invaluable asset to both the campus library
and her fellow students. Rosetta has truly
come back from the brink of disaster by
focusing on her academic and personal
success.
Columbia Student Sacrifices
Skin for the Cause
J
erard Dantzler used to be afraid of
needles which is hard to imagine
considering what he does twice a week.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Net-
work Security student volunteers himself
as a human pincushion.
Each term, students in Dr. Raiyani’s
Phlebotomy class must complete 25
successful sticks in order to sit for their
certification exam. They aren’t always
successful hitting the vein at first but
they won’t get better if they don’t
practice, which means they need people
with willing arms. Nobody volunteers as
much as Jerard.
“It’s really not that painful,” he says.
“They need help and I needed to get
over my fear so it’s worked out pretty
good.” Still, most would say that kind of
commitment would put anyone at the
Head of the Class. Well done, Jerard!
Back from the Brink — A Student’s Story