Who is Arden?

This past spring, Arden Horacek graduated with honors from the University of San Diego and stepped confidently into her first post-college job, ready to build the life she had worked so hard for.

Born with moderately severe Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease, Arden has spent her life proving that strength is more than physical. She considers herself a “lucky” OI kid, despite dozens of fractures and multiple surgeries. Her determination to beat the odds of this disease has always been central to her ethos. She has danced ballet, excelled academically, and set a goal to become fluent in French. With that goal in mind, she studied abroad in France, competently managing the considerable risks of being so far from home. She has always worked while in school, in part to help her single mom, Courtney, and in part because she is fiercely independent.

At her core, Arden is thoughtful and deliberate, always considering the way situations might impact herself and others. She is a person who makes very measured decisions both because she has had to and because that is who she is. Unfortunately, she is now confronting severe repercussions caused by another person’s reckless behavior.

The unfairness of her situation is undeniable. Still, surrounded by the love of her family and friends, Arden is determined to meet this setback with the same quiet resilience that has defined her entire life.

What happened?

On the night of October 18, Arden was out with friends when she decided it was time to head home. A friend offered to drive her without disclosing that he had been drinking. Moments later, while exiting the freeway, he lost control of the car. The vehicle slammed violently into a pole, and the driver was arrested at the scene.

The impact of the crash was so severe that Arden lost consciousness and has no memory of anything prior to awakening in the hospital trauma bay.

Arden was rushed to the hospital unconscious and unidentified, admitted as a Jane Doe. Her devoted roommates, realizing something was terribly wrong when she didn’t return, saw her location at the hospital and found someone who went bed to bed until they located Arden. Once medical staff understood that she had Osteogenesis Imperfecta, they recognized how catastrophic this accident truly was.

The accident’s impact on Arden’s body was extreme. She sustained numerous fractures, including a skull fracture, her cervical bone, clavicle, scapula, multiple ribs and her sternum. She has broken every vertebrae from T4 - S1. Right now L5 and S1 are pressing on her spinal cord and will need to be surgically stabilized. Arden is also suffering the impacts of a traumatic brain injury, doing her best to manage severe headaches, and vision problems as a result of a severe concussion. Compounding these injuries, doctors are concerned about fluid in her lungs, which were punctured in the crash, and she is being treated for pneumonia.

Despite all of this, Arden remains alert, brave and determined. While she is used to overcoming major challenges, this one is different. One person’s decision to drink and drive, a decision that was completely opposed to how Arden lived her life, left her managing a long and difficult healing process. After weeks of recovery in the hospital, and being moved from the adult to the pediatric ICU, Arden’s spine is being fused to protect her spinal cord from major damage. This will be followed by months of physical therapy and rehabilitation. In addition to her physical recovery, Arden is naturally coping with the added emotional effects of this trauma, including fear about whether she’ll be comfortable driving again.

Yet from beneath the struggle, Arden’s gorgeous spirit continues to shine through. She has been spotted coloring pages of Hello Kitty with her sister, and sending light-hearted, even upbeat messages to family, friends and loved ones without ever mentioning her pain. She would probably never ask for it, but we want to help.

What are we fundraising for?

While Arden and her mother, Courtney, focus on recovery, surgery and next steps, our goal is to lift the weight of ongoing housing costs from their shoulders. Arden’s rent is $1,250 per month–about $1,400 with utilities. With Courtney having paused her own work to care for her daughter, even basic expenses are becoming a source of stress. By helping cover this cost, we can give them space to focus fully on what matters most right now–Arden’s recovery.

Our goal is to raise $16,800 to pay Arden’s rent for one year.

While we cannot undo the fractures, or the circumstances of her injuries, paying rent is a tangible way we can support her and her family. Our help will allow Arden to focus on the healing process and on the journey to rebuild her body and her life.

How can I help?

Please consider donating any amount you are able to help us reach our goal. No contribution is too small because every dollar counts. If you are able to donate more, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Remember that we will be covering the 2.9% Go Fund Me fee out of each donation, so if you can adjust your donation slightly to account for that small amount, we will be able to maximize the help we provide. If we are able to surpass our fundraising goal, any additional money will be used to pay Arden’s student loans that began coming this month.

We are incredibly grateful for the love, support, and encouragement from everyone in Arden’s community

Is there anything else I can do?

Yes! We urge you to share this link widely with friends, family and on your social media. If you know someone with OI, you understand how devastating a setback like this can be. If you are a parent who has worried about getting ‘that call’, you can imagine the anguish and fear.

Arden is a fighter and our shared posts will help others to join her team. Thank you in advance for your concern, love and support.