His doctors call him a “walking miracle.” Whether you call it divine intervention or sheer luck, Narayan Dhakal, graduate student in the department of mathematical finance and part-time professor at UNCC, awakened from what had appeared to be a tragic fate. “I didn’t think he was going to make it,” his younger brother Abi said, recalling the events that occurred last October. “Looking at him now, it’s a miracle.”
Meredith Richi found 42-year-old Dhakal, beaten and unconscious, lying in the middle of 8th Street in a pool of his own blood, barely able to breathe. Severely disfigured and absent of any form of identification, Dhakal was left for dead. I remember the looks on my classmates’ faces when we heard what had happened to our kind, soft-spoken teacher. I could read every emotion that crossed their faces as the substitute told us the story. There was shock, confusion, withdrawal – but most of all there was complete disgust. “I was absolutely shocked. Nobody knew why he didn’t show up that Friday, we just assumed that he was sick,” Drew Blue, a freshman in Dhakal’s college algebra class said. “Then when we found out what had happened ... we were all taken aback. It was very disturbing and totally unexpected. I couldn’t understand how someone could ever do that.”
Now after spending months fighting for his life at Charlotte’s Carolina Medical Center, Narayan Dhakal, who was in critical condition not too long ago, is now able to communicate. Though Dhakal’s verbal abilities remain unclear, doctors conclude that it will take up to a year and a half before he can fully recover from the damage that has been done to his brain. Even then, they do not know what level of communication he will be able to achieve. However, his brother continues to be optimistic, “He’s at a point where he can be trained. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, it is going to be challenging, but nothing is impossible.”
It is hard to believe in impossibilities when the unexpected has already occurred. A man left for dead has not only awakened from a coma, but is now able to walk. Dhakal had been pursuing a second degree so that he could leave teaching and work in finance, which is why he moved to Charlotte. His family now hopes that he will continue to teach, but no announcement of his return has been made. The dean of liberal arts and sciences, Nancy Gutierrez, released a statement saying: “Everyone in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is happy to hear that Mr. Dhakal is recovering. Our best wishes go out to him and his family, and we hope he is able to return to campus soon.”
As for the perpetrators, Dhakal was awake but unable to talk about the confrontation. Police suspect three individuals who go by the street names Spade, Tyrique, and Respect. They are described as three black males, ages 15 to 18, and are known for hanging out by the transit center. Anyone with information about the suspects can call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1660.
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