In response to an automobile accident involving Parkway West sophomore Alison Owen, the Parkway community is providing support to Owen and her family.

Owen, who suffered a brain hemorrhage, a broken vertebrae, and bruised lungs was a passenger in a car that hit two trees on Feb. 1.

Parkway West sophomore Olivia DiCampo, a good friend of Owen since the age of five, loves that the support for her friend is reaching other schools.

“I think it’s really awesome that people besides West are supporting her,” DiCampo said. “It shows that we are all in this together, we’ve got each other’s backs.”

During the Parkway West-Parkway Central basketball game on Feb. 8, fans from both student sections chanted “hope for Ali” during a break in the action.

Junior Alyiah Lanius was one of the people who joined in to chant for Owen. “I thought it was really good that all schools are supporting,” Lanius said. “It’s really cool that our school is caring for someone else at another parkway school.”

After the event, West students advocated for Owen via social media websites to spread the word about ideas on how to help Owen make a speedy recovery.

Sophomore Ellie Dunn, who went to Parkway West Middle in sixth grade, knew Owen and tried to bring the support to Central.

“Having anyone in the hospital is hard to deal with, especially when you know the person,” Dunn said. “It’s cool how the support spreads and that something devastating can have a positive spin off of it.”

Currently, Owen has left the intensive care unit at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital according to the Twitter account dedicated for her support. She has entered the rehab stage of her recovery. The timetable for her complete recovery is not yet clear.