KENT — Dozens gathered at Kent Commons Park on Saturday, July 18, for a walkathon to support the recovery of Kent native Luke Arno, who suffered a traumatic brain injury last year after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. About 60 people participated in the event for Arno, 23, who remains in a minimally conscious state.
“This is incredible,” Arno’s older sister, Brandi Alpizar, said in a speech to the group. “I literally don’t have the words to describe what I feel.”
More than $3,000 was raised, said event organizer Katy Branch, with all proceeds going to Arno and his family. The money will cover the cost of a custom wheelchair and fund speech, occupational and physical therapies, Alpizar said.
Branch, a nursing student who is engaged to a friend of Arno’s, rallied other CT State Northwestern nursing students to organize the event.
“I couldn’t have done it without the classmates who stepped forward and helped,” she said.
In addition to individual support, about 20 local businesses donated raffle items and snacks for the event.
“Everything has been donated,” Branch said. “We haven’t really even had to pay for anything.” Raffle items included everything from wine baskets to stuffed animals.
The walking route circled the park, with participants completing five laps for a total of one mile, although not everyone was there to walk. Some simply came out to donate and show their support.
A sign supporting Luke Arno features photos of him taken before his brain injury.Allison Gollenberg
Branch’s friend and fellow nursing student, Subrina Alvarez, said she’s been amazed by the outpouring from the Kent community. She said it’s important to remember people with traumatic brain injuries are still themselves.
“There’s still a person in there, and they’re alive,” she said. “It’s hard for their family and it’s hard for them.”
Another organizer, Glorybel Soto, said, “I hope people can understand what it’s like to be Luke. It was like the blink of an eye, what happened to him. And we continue with our lives, but his is completely different.”
Even so, Alpizar said her brother has made tremendous strides in the last year.
After Arno’s crash last July — which left him in a coma for months — his sister said he’d sustained the most severe brain injury one can survive. Still, she said, within the first few months of his recovery he was doing things the family was told he never would again.
“We always joked he had nine lives,” Alpizar said. “Now he has 10.”
Alpizar described her brother as “the most giving, helpful person imaginable,” with an old soul and a great sense of humor, which she said he has maintained despite his injuries.
Arno was known for keeping an eye out for motorists in trouble in town, popping hoods, jump-starting cars and fixing problems for everyone he met, she said.
“Someday he’s going to be working on a car again, probably, in his wheelchair,” Alpizar said. “If he can get under a car, he’ll do it.”
As people walked, they shared stories and laughs about Luke and his sense of humor. Soto took drone video recordings of the event, capturing groups of walkers who waved and shared supportive messages to their friend. Alpizar said Luke recognizes faces and voices and loves having visitors as he recovers at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain.
Attendees included friends, family, friends of the family and strangers, too — passersby or people who heard about the event online. Most were from Kent, but some were Branch’s classmates from out of town. All gathered under the pavilion on the foggy, smoky, orange morning – a result of the Canadian wildfires.
Dan Greenbaum, whose kids went to school with Arno, said he got to know him as “the NAPA guy” as he grew up, noting his affinity for cars. He said Luke was always friendly.
“We want to do everything we can, as everybody says. It’s such a great community in Kent. That’s the way it’s always been,” he said.
“I couldn’t not help, you know?” said Lynn Harrington, a Kent selectman and family friend, who helped coordinate the event.
Alpizar said the number of people who showed up is a testament to Arno’s character. “I jokingly call him the mayor of Kent. Everyone knows the Arnos. You were like his best friend from the moment you met him.”
