The UW Medicine Salute to Harborview Gala will honor two Magnolia teens who survived a fall into an ice cave last summer. Alec Corbett and Allesandro Gelmini were trapped under tons of ice for five hours after falling into the cave near Snoqualmie Pass in August, 2008. The boys are friends who at the time of the accident were both attending Bishop Blanchet High School. They were taking photographs during a hike near Denny Creek with Corbett’s family when the cave collapsed.
(Photos courtesy Clare McLean/UW)
Corbett (on left next to his mom Joni) and Gelmini were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where they spent weeks recoving. They both suffered broken backs and other injuries in the collapse and needed several surgeries and physical therapy. “When it first happened didn’t think I would make it out,” said Gelmini.
The gala on February 27 is an annual fundraising event for charity care programs at Harborview. Over the past five years the gala has raised more than $5 million with all of the proceeds going towards Harborview programs that serve vulnerable populations. The event will honor Corbett and Gelmini whose lives were put back together at Harborview.
Both boys have now full recovered. Corbett is attending college and Gelmini is a sophomore in high school.
