‘Whole life ahead of her': UC Berkeley senior paralyzed following fall
A UC Berkeley senior has spent weeks recovering in an Oakland hospital after a devastating fall left her paralyzed from the waist down, her father said.
Bandna Bhatti, 22, is close to a week away from graduating, but instead of attending the ceremony, her father said, she will hopefully be thousands of miles away, at a spinal cord specialty hospital in Chicago.
'She has her whole life ahead of her,' Baljinder Bhatti, Bandna's father, said. 'As a parent, whatever it takes, I want to make sure she walks again.'
Bandna fell at least 12 feet from outdoor metal stairs at the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house on Piedmont Avenue on April 19, KTVU reported, before landing in a narrow passageway. Students were celebrating Cal Day, when newly admitted students visited the campus, and Bandna was found about 15 minutes after the fall, the TV station reported.
Bandna's family told KTVU that she was brought into the fraternity house before being moved to a friend's apartment, where 911 was called about seven hours later.
Bandna's injuries were significant: a brain bleed, a dural tear with spinal fluid leakage, a fractured scapula and broken bones, according to a GoFundMe page from her sister.
Baljinder said that while Bandna is recovering, one of the most concerning injuries is that her T12 vertebrae in her spine was shattered, contributing to her partial paralysis.
Baljinder said that Bandna turned 22 while in the hospital on Saturday, an occasion that brought family and friends to her room.
'A lot of students came and brought flowers and tried to make her happy,' Baljinder said. 'We're doing our best…'
Bandna's father said that she has been concerned about her ability to recover from the accident and was moved to tears the following day when her friends ran a half marathon to fundraise for her care.
Her friends asked donors to pledge $5 per mile to cover 'vital funds for Bandna's recovery,' according to a GoFundMe organized by Bandna's sister Sonya. Nearly $113,000 was raised on the site as of Thursday.
'She was crying that she's not there. She was crying. It was really hard,' Baljinder said. 'That's the first time I've ever seen her crying that bad.'
Her friends have been 'very helpful' in setting up events and checking on Bandna, Baljinder said.
Sonya wrote that Bandna's injuries 'are not only life-altering but will require extensive and ongoing medical care, including physical therapy, rehabilitation and specialized support to help her navigate this new chapter.' The donations will be used for specialized care, adaptive equipment and home modifications 'to help Bandna regain as much independence as possible,' Sonya wrote.
Bandna is an active athlete, Baljinder said, playing tennis and softball through high school. He said she's always been an excellent student, graduating at the top of her class from Ceres High School with various awards. Bandna is scheduled to graduate with a degree in data science, Sonya wrote on the donation page.
'She's a very good kid,' Baljinder said. 'There's very few people like this.'
Baljinder said that Bandna has always been kind and polite, and even while in pain in the hospital has taken care to address nurses and doctors politely.
'Bandna is a brilliant, compassionate, and resilient young woman who has worked tirelessly toward her dreams,' Sonya wrote.
UC Berkeley said they were aware of the incident, and could not confirm confidential student matters.
'Our thoughts are with the student, their family, loved ones and friends during this time,' university spokesperson Adam Ratliff said in a statement. 'We are following our protocols to offer support to the student and their family.'
The university said the Berkeley Police Department was the agency in charge of investigating the fall. Police confirmed they responded to a 911 call in the evening of April 19 about a fall and found a 'young female that presented with altered mental status.'
Baljinder is hopeful that within a week, Bandna could be stable enough to be transported to Chicago to get help from a spinal cord specialist in hopes that she could walk again.
For now, Bandna's father is continuing to commute back-and-forth between the hospital and his job as a construction worker in Ceres, just outside of Modesto. While Bandna's mother is staying with her, Baljinder said he has had to continue working.
'It's 24/7. This is the one thing in mind. Sleeping, waking up, anything, eating — it's her,' Baljinder said. 'Very, very painful.'
Sonya wrote on the donation page that 'our world was turned upside down' and thanked everyone for their support.
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