Barbara Coscio’s Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery

Hi, my name is Kristina and my sister Danielle and I would like to take a moment to tell you about our amazing mom, Barbara. Barbara Coscio is a name that means many things to countless people. A wife, mother, daughter, sister, leader, mentor, and friend. She’s a rare combination of deeply caring and fiercely passionate and will do anything to support the people she cares about. She is a force to be reckoned with that leaves her impact everywhere she goes. Anyone who has met our mom knows that, and if you haven’t met our mom here’s a quick video that encapsulates what she is all about.

What’s lesser known is the roller coaster ride that she’s been on since June of 2022. One day after work, she had difficulty speaking. That night, she went to the hospital and underwent several tests which identified a benign tumor on the left side of her brain that needed immediate removal. The first surgery was successful and, against many odds, she was immediately able to speak and move the right side of her body. This is something she was told would likely take some rehab to recover following the surgery. Unfortunately, during her first night of recovery, she suffered an unprecedented brain bleed and stroke. She was rushed into emergency surgery that likely saved her life, but her brain did sustain damage. This damage has affected mobility on the right side of her body, including the inability to swallow and speak. Since then, she’s been in special care facilities where she has received countless hours of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and a craniotomy to close her skull after her brain swelling subsided enough. She has slowly made progress such as regaining the ability to eat on her own and using hand gestures to communicate her appreciation to her care team. Her personality is starting to shine through again too. The next milestone for our mom to take on will be a hip surgery to address a rare and painful bone growth resulting from the brain trauma she’s endured. Our hope is this surgery will both ease pain and help her continue recovering with therapy.

Over the past eight months, we’ve received a tremendous outpouring of support, which we are so appreciative of. We also have received a lot of questions on how people can help our mom. Her recovery is fluid and not something we have a roadmap or timeline for. A full recovery is something that we hope for, but understand is not guaranteed. The goal is for our mom to come home and continue her rehabilitation following her hip surgery. The new normal for our family will look a lot different and will include many new expenses. To address these overwhelming expenses, a special trust has been created.

Any contributions made to this page will directly benefit our mom’s health and recovery by helping to cover some of the out-of-pocket medical expenses including, but not limited to specialist procedures, 24/7 at-home nursing care, therapies, medical transport, and ADA home renovations necessary to give her a positive environment to continue recovering. While the end result of the treatment is hard to forecast, we hope to be able to give our mom the best care possible, as she would do for us. Your generosity is greatly appreciated in helping us toward our goal. Thank you.