Community Corner
Emily Bowman Returns Home
Emily Bowman was released Thursday from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. Dozens of volunteers, friends and family members welcomed her home.
The Woodstock woman who was severely injured in an hit-and-run accident in February is now home with her loved ones.
Emily Bowman was discharged from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite on Thursday, and was given a warm welcome back to Towne Lake by friends, family and volunteers who have donated countless hours to make her abode as comfortable as possible.
Bowman, 20, saw for the first time the renovations done on her home by Roswell-based Sunshine on a Ranney Day. The nonprofit was able to pull together a team of numerous volunteers, all of whom have been hard at work in the last month renovating the main level of the home and personalizing Bowman's new room.
Those renovations include: converting the den on the main level into a room for Debbie Bowman, which will allow her to be close to her daughter; converting the dining room into a bedroom for Bowman when she returns; remodeled a half-bathroom on the main level into a full handicap-accessible bathroom; remove carpeting and install new flooring in the main areas to accommodate Bowman's wheelchair; constructing a wheelchair ramp outside the front door of the home; and furnishing and decorating each of the new rooms.
Debbie Bowman was emotional as she guided her daughter through the renovation portion of the home in Towne Lake. She stopped along the way and hugged many volunteers who came together to make the renovations a reality.
She, along with friends and volunteers, asked Bowman how she liked the new decorations and renovations.
Bowman later said her daughter was still not generally communicating, but continues to fight for her life. She also said she was grateful to the volunteers and others who've come together to make the renovations possible.
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"I'm so appreciative of everything that's been done for us," she said between tears.
Bowman, a former Kennesaw State University student and Woodstock High School graduate, had been hospitalized in critical condition at Athens Regional Medical Center between Feb. 16 and March 8 when she was hit by a pick-up truck as she and a friend walked along Oak Street.
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Heaton was arrested and charged with hit-and-run, driving under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, and open container.
Earlier this month, he was indicted by a Clarke County Grand Jury on 13 counts, including DUI, open container, reckless driving, serious injury by vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report the accident and failure to maintain lane.
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