Victim of hit-run plans to return to school

Annie Lee can communicate and move her wheelchair.
HOWLAND -- Annie Lee, a 12-year-old girl left a quadriplegic after a 2004 hit-and-run accident, plans to return to school in the fall.
"She wants to be a pharmacist," neighbor and family friend Karen Brown said Tuesday.
Annie returned to her Deer Creek Lane home this week after spending 201/2 months in the hospital, the most recent being Cleveland Clinic's Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation.
Brown said that although Annie is using a wheelchair and requires around-the-clock nursing care, she plans to join her classmates in the eighth grade at Howland Middle School.
The school district is already preparing for her return, Brown noted.
Annie was injured Aug. 16, 2004, when she, her brother who was 3 years old then and grandmother were crossing U.S. Route 422 at North Road when struck by an SUV.
Police allege that Irving R. Russ of Risher Road, Warren, was the driver. He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, obstructing official business and tampering with evidence. He had a suspended driver's license.
Determination
"Annie is a determined little girl," Brown said.
Although Annie can't speak yet, she uses a computer operated with a mouthpiece to communicate and a similar device to move her wheelchair.
"Annie's smile is as big as I've seen her smile," Brown said, although she continues an intense regimen of rehabilitation.
"She's checked out [of the hospital] but is far from done," she added.
Her father, Chung Lee, is insured, although the out-of-pocket expenses have been enormous, the family friend explained.
Lee's insurance doesn't cover all the medical expenses and certain items aren't covered by Medicaid, Brown said.
It takes nearly two people to care for Annie, Brown explained, noting she must be moved carefully or she could choke because of breathing equipment she must use.