(Daily Herald) – Just before Christmas 2013, 49-year-old David Brongiel’s life was forever changed by a motor vehicle accident that resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury, or TBI.
A TBI occurs following a violent blow to the head and can cause a wide range of debilitating physical and psychological symptoms in both the short and long term.
After three weeks in a coma, David was moved to a long-term acute care facility for one month, and then spent three months in a rehabilitation facility. At that point, medical providers felt his improvement had plateaued and his care could be managed at home in Plainfield, where he lives with his wife, Rita, and daughter, Marisa.
Once home, a plateau wasn’t the plan for David and his family — they were determined to move forward. After David’s discharge from the rehabilitation facility, he began a regular exercise routine.
In 2016, the family was referred to Dr. Yonghua Michael Zhang, a neurologist with the Edward Neurosciences Institute. CONTINUE