11-year-old crash survivor named honorary Disney princess for work with Atlanta children’s hospital

ATLANTA — An 11-year-old girl named after a Disney princess is now one herself.

Arielle Urquhart was in a serious crash with her mother when she was just nine years old.

“It was just a normal day and someone just swung out in front of me,” Shakira Massiah, Arielle’s mom, told Channel 2′s Lori Wilson.

Arielle suffered severe injuries in the crash.

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“What I remember is that I woke up in this weird strange place in a bed and I couldn’t really work my neck a lot,” she recalled. “I remember someone telling me that I had to learn to walk again.”

She was at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta and Dr. David Wrubel had performed a life-saving surgery.

“The type of cervical spine or head and neck injury that she had, about half of those patients do not survive the injury,” Dr. Wrubel said.

Not only did she survive, but Arielle thrived. After recovery and various forms of therapy at Children’s, she wanted to give back. She already had a non-profit called Ari’s Angels and her mission became to make care packages for families at the hospital.

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“When my patients are giving back, that means we’re doing the right thing,” Dr. Wrubel said.

Arielle, who was named after “The Little Mermaid,” was even recognized by Disney.

“I was amazed and excited when Disney said they wanted her to be an honorary princess because she is inspired by the bravery of Ariel and Moana,” Massiah said.

“I just want to give back and do positive things because it makes me smile and I love seeing other people smile so it makes my day,” Arielle said.

In addition to making care packages, Ari also started taking gymnastics.

Her doctor says her recovery is a true testament to her hard work and determination. These are just some of the traits her mom says make her a Disney princess.

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