Friends Rally To Aid Seriously Injured Sacred Heart University Student

Jun 03, 2023

FAIRFIELD, CT — Anna Buhrmann, a field hockey player from Fairfield-based Sacred Heart University, suffered a devastating spinal injury this month in a skiing accident in Colorado, and her friends are rallying to support her.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to aid Buhrmann, who severed her spinal cord in the accident, and as of Friday, the effort had generated nearly 4,000 donations and raised more than $200,000 toward a goal of $300,000.

"On March 6th, Anna was skiing with our friend Aly [Cunningham] and me at Copper Mountain for our spring break," wrote Kenzie Riccardi, who created the GoFundMe page. "Unfortunately, Anna crashed while skiing and hit a tree. She was flown to Denver via Flight For Life and underwent 7 hours of emergency spine surgery. Anna snapped her C6 and C7 vertebrae and severed her spinal cord, which resulted in permanent paralysis below her shoulders."

Buhrmann is an experienced skier, having grown up in Germany, and Riccardi told the Connecticut Post that the blue trail that they were on when Buhrmann crashed was not particularly difficult. But the 19-year-old hit a bump, which led to the crash into the tree.

"Anna has been strong and kept a smile on her face through all of this despite her family still being in Germany," Riccardi wrote. "As we progress forward, we hope to raise money to help cover expenses including the Flight For Life, surgery, Anna’s parents' travel to the US, rehabilitation, and other accommodations she will need."

In addition to members of the Sacred Heart community who have shown support, field hockey players from across the country reportedly have also offered well-wishes to Buhrmann.

"Our prayers are with Anna, and we hope to help support her and her family in any way we can," Riccardi wrote. "Anything helps. Thank you for your kindness."

To view the GoFundMe campaign for Anna Buhrmann, click here.

Editor's note: GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.