Friends, Formal and Full of Hope

By NICK ANDERSON

June 8, 1997 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SANTA ANA — On a somber prom night for a Newport Beach high school, students in tuxedos and gowns signed a giant get-well card Saturday at a hospital here for a cheerleader who couldn’t come to the dance.

The 8-foot-tall plywood card was propped in one corner of the outpatient surgery waiting room at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. Across the room, the white beaded dress Amanda Arthur had picked out for her junior prom at Newport Harbor High was hung on a mannequin, rose petals strewn about on the floor.

Arthur, 17, has been in a coma for a fortnight since a car crash that claimed the life of one of her friends. As doctors monitored her in acute care on the fourth floor, dozens of students came to the first-floor hospital room to pull for their friend.

“Amanda: I love u with all my heart,” wrote a student named Nicole. “I’ve been praying for you every night. Love ya girlfriend.”

Another, named Andrea, wrote: “Sleeping Beauty, it’s time to wake up.”

Prom-bound couples filed through the room, many with tear-filled eyes, and hugged Arthur’s mother, Chris Maese. Arthur’s family posed for a smiling group picture to accompany the card. One group of students huddled to pray aloud after signing.

“Everybody’s praying for a miracle,” said Phil Baltazar, 18, a longtime friend. “It’s hard to believe, still today, that something like this is real. You kind of expect to see Amanda in school.”

Arthur, a varsity song captain on the school pep squad, was crammed into a Chevrolet Blazer with nine school buddies on May 23 when it flipped over at high speed on a curvy road along Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach.

Donald “Donnie” Bridgman, 18, was killed in the crash, and several others were hospitalized with serious injuries. Police say the driver, also a student, was not under the influence of alcohol but probably was going too fast.

The crash rocked, then galvanized, the high school.

Students launched a fund-raising campaign to help Arthur, whose family does not have medical insurance. The hospital bills are steep.

Terry Phillips, a parent who heads the drive, said about $20,000 has been collected. He said a pop singer, whose name Phillips said he could not disclose, has volunteered to do a benefit concert.

“This girl is going to need a lot of long-term care when she comes out of the coma,” Phillips said.

Doctors say the crash injured Arthur’s brain stem, which controls vital body functions such as blood pressure and body temperature. They say her prognosis is unclear.

Her family remains upbeat. “Right now, doctors say she doesn’t recognize anybody,” said Arthur’s stepfather, Alex Maese, who is a self-employed plumber. “But we believe she does. We believe she is hearing us and just not able to respond.”

Chris Maese said she was “overwhelmed” by the support Arthur has received.

“The kids are so incredible,” she said. “We’re so grateful that they have so much love in their hearts. You know how teenagers are. They want to do their thing. And yet, here they are; their lives are on hold, and they’re gathering together.”

Arthur’s 18-year-old brother, Sonny Arthur, dressed in a black tuxedo with white shawl lapels, also signed the card before heading to the prom at an events center in Orange.

“Mandy--Get well. I love u. Brother Sonny.”

Donations to the Amanda Arthur Recovery Fund may be sent to P.O. Box 3192, Newport Beach, CA 92659.