Hope Rovelto never saw the car coming. She couldn’t even see it leave.
“I was face-down. I was in disbelief,” she says, recalling the early morning last November when, coming home from the gym in downtown Philadelphia, the ceramic-shop supervisor at the University of the Arts set off to cross the street. A car that was apparently driving fast, and turning without signaling swung onto the street Hope was crossing and, she says, “just drove right into my knees.”
That began what would be, for Hope, a long journey of recovery. From the next moment on, it was a journey that, often, she would not have to take alone. “I can’t get over how much people helped out. It’s kind of amazing,” she says today, eight months after the accident.
“I don’t make a lot of money, I don’t come from a rich family, I’m just a worker — and everyone knew that,” she says. “People were donating money; people would send me checks for $10, $25. Some people I didn’t even know! There was a blog, Hope for Hope. That’s one thing about the Internet — things went fast. People heard my story.”
Hope’s story involved two-week stays in both a hospital and a rehab center.
As an artist, Hope has learned the importance of being prepared for the unexpected — and being covered. From now on, she’ll examine very closely the options and details of insurance coverage.
“I realize, okay, accidents can happen. Paying $20 more a month is worth more than paying a higher deductible. I’ve learned a ton.”
