When Yudian He moved to Colorado in 1999 from Shi Tran, China, the youngster faced many obstacles. He had to learn a new language and a new culture.
But He faced each of those challenges head-on, and by the time he enrolled in Denver’s Merrill Middle School in 2002, he had conquered English and was chosen to participate in a pre-engineering program at Denver Community College.
Today, He is a senior at George Washington High School. His first two years at the school were spent in the International Baccalaureate program, where he had a 3.9 grade-point average.
But He’s push for academic and personal success nearly came to an end June 26, 2004, when a Chevrolet Geo he was in flipped over on South Parker Road. Aurora police said the 16-year-old driver didn’t have a driver’s license, didn’t own the car and was speeding.
The driver suffered only minor injuries, but six other people were hurt, two of them seriously, including He, who was left a quadriplegic.
“I thought my life was over when the doctor told me I might be confined in a wheelchair for the rest of my life,” he said.
He spent 10 days lingering between life and death in the intensive-care unit at Swedish Medical Center. His mother, Chunhe Chen, kept vigil at her only child’s bedside.
“When I first saw Yudian, I didn’t believe he was alive,” Chen said. “He was full of tubes.”
Before the accident, He worked as lab research assistant at the Veterans Affairs Research Center. He volunteered in the lab at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and was a teacher’s assistant at Denver Chinese School.
“It’s been a life-changing situation,” said He, 18. “It’s kind of hard to forgive because it’s affected my life forever.”
The accident changed his mother’s life, too.
Chen had to resign as a doctorate researcher at the CU Health Sciences Center so she could care for her son.
The family is struggling financially. Insurance paid close to a half-million dollars for He’s medical bills in 2004 but didn’t pick up additional costs. His mother’s adjusted income over the past two years has dwindled to under $10,000 a year. The family has been denied access to special assistance programs provided by Social Security and Medicaid. Chen is receiving unemployment benefits, and the family is getting by with food and other help from the Chinese community, their church and friends.
But He remains optimistic about his future.
“I’m hopeful I’ll walk again,” he said.
Back at George Washington High, He persevered and earned straight A’s while taking Advanced Placement courses.
In May, He will graduate. He has applied to the University of California at Berkeley and has been accepted at Leeds School of Business at CU-Boulder.
When He is not studying, he swims and plays Quad Rugby with other spinal-cord patients at Craig Hospital.
“He’s very inspirational,” said Penny Smith, a Farmington, N.M., teacher who was paralyzed from the waist down after she was injured in a car accident.
Staff writer Annette Espinoza can be reached at 303-820-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com.
