One of the three Palestinian college students who were shot over Thanksgiving weekend in Vermont is now paralysed from the chest down, his mother has said. A bullet became lodged in Hisham Awartani’s spine, causing the tragedy. His family has now set up a GoFundMe.
Hisham will now have to spend up to four weeks in spinal trauma care, which will be followed by several months of physical therapy, his mom Elizabeth Price said.
“We believe that Hisham will meet this challenge with the same determination I’ve witnessed this week,” Hisham’s mother said, according to CNN. “The fund will help cover costs associated with his rehabilitation, air travel of his family and expenses related to the adaptive needs of his new reality.” Hisham, 20, is a Brown University maths major.
The GoFundMe reads, “Hisham's first thoughts were for his friends, then for his parents who were thousands of miles away. He has demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience and fortitude - even a sense of humor - even as the reality of his paralysis sets in.”
“We, his family, believe that Hisham will change the world. He'll change the world through his spirit, his mind and his compassion for those much more vulnerable than himself, especially the thousands of dead in Gaza and many more struggling to survive the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding there,” it adds.
{{/usCountry}}“We, his family, believe that Hisham will change the world. He'll change the world through his spirit, his mind and his compassion for those much more vulnerable than himself, especially the thousands of dead in Gaza and many more struggling to survive the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding there,” it adds.
{{/usCountry}}The suspect arrested in connection with the student was identified as 48-year-old Jason James Eaton. Hisham was shot along with two other 20-year-old friends – Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed – while they were walking on Prospect Street while visiting a relative for Thanksgiving holiday. Two of the students were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, the police department said.
The three friends were born just before the end of the Second Intifada. They reportedly grew up together in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Jason pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors have said that there is not enough evidence to charge him with a hate crime. His motive is not known.