In an instant, Alexander Bosnakis’ life changed. On a hot September afternoon three years ago, Bosnakis was riding his freshly assembled motorcycle home along Blair Road in Mint Hill when a truck swerved in front of him. With no time to brake, he was thrown like a rag doll over the hood of the Ford F-150 and slammed to the pavement a few feet away.
Fortunately, he doesn’t remember the incident.
Bosnakis’ list of injuries reads like an anatomy primer — fitting, since the senior biology major who graduated Saturday plans to apply to medical school in the spring.
“I had brain swelling and bleeding,” he said. “I broke my nose. I broke both wrists — I broke my left wrist — both arms, right leg, left foot, both ankles, pelvis, last vertebra.”
Bosnakis was in a coma for a month, suffered a stroke the day after he was admitted to the hospital, and developed pneumonia after his lungs collapsed in the accident.
It’s great that he’s still alive. “I shouldn’t be,” he said.
Thanks to the efforts of the team of medical staff and his own courage, Bosnakis somehow made it through, and the only real effects he feels from the accident today are lingering hip pain, some barely noticeable impairments to movement. limits and a new sense of purpose.
Before the accident, Bosnakis was an apathetic student ready to make the most of his second chance. Boy does he need one?
“If that’s the case, the highest I’ve ever gotten is like a C,” he said. “I just didn’t take college seriously or work as hard as I should.” He had just returned to class after being suspended for a semester when the accident happened.
But the shipwreck awakened Bosnakis, and he became an A/B student. He will be graduating with a degree in biology and a minor in psychology, and will join 116 other undergraduates at Wingate’s fall Commencement Saturday to receive his diploma. Additionally, 150 graduate students will receive their degrees at a ceremony at Cuddy Arena at 10 a.m.
No one is more grateful for the diploma than Bosnakis, who first enrolled at Wingate in 2016 after graduating from nearby Piedmont High School. After struggling academically in his early years, he now has big plans: He will spend the next few months studying for the medical school admissions exam, which he hopes to take in the spring, and intends to enter medical school in the fall of 2023.
“When I came back, I was basically a different student,” he said.
The accident was like a slap in the face, making him re-examine his life.
“You realize the beauty of life and how many things you take for granted,” he said. “I can never go back to that time when I was stupid in school and didn’t take it seriously. I regret it but I believe everything happens for a reason. I think I’m better suited for my future than I was before. I Don’t think I have a chance of getting into medical school with the mindset I had before.”
After two and a half years of surgery, Bosnakis also has a clear idea of what he wants to do with his medical degree: become a surgeon. He credits his plastic surgeon Dr Madhav Karunakar for restoring him to health. Bosnakis is left-handed, and his limited mobility could wreak havoc on his future with a broken left wrist.
“I’m mobile enough to write and do everything I’ve done before,” he said. “Dr. Karunakar was even surprised when he removed all the hardware.”
Bosnakis had to learn to walk (he now has a different gait due to a fusion of his left foot), and he had to relearn some cognitive skills after a stroke. Even today, his brain occasionally takes a while to find the right word, but most of the time he returns to normal and all his memories (except the accident) come back.
“He’s overcome some traumatic experiences but has a very positive attitude and a very positive mindset,” said Matt Davis, Ph.D., who teaches Posnakis in the Fall 2021 Psychology 303: Learning and Memory class. “Things aren’t perfect for him right now, but he’s still recovering and the fact that he’s been able to hang on as a biology major is a great testament to his inner resilience.”
Bosnakis underwent surgery after surgery, even after he returned to the classroom. With a long way to go before returning to physical fitness, he needed the personal care that Wingate Education provided to help him make the academic transition.
“I know what I have to do, and I’m motivated to do it,” Bosnakis said. “When I came back, my whole mental state was very different. A lot of my professors really helped me because I was still in surgery and they were very considerate. They cared.”
