Gabrielle: Spinal Cord Injury Rehab

Hello! We have been friends with Gabrielle Broder for 37 years - we were tiny tots together, created pretend restaurants when we were old enough to make grilled cheese sandwiches, babysat, made forts in the forest, had water fights, grew older and cooked more elaborate meals, sang together, talked for countless hours, and laughed - so much laughing!

Gabrielle is a truly amazing and good person. She is an extraordinarily gifted special education teacher, and is a much-loved daughter, friend, stepsister, girlfriend, and godmother. She tackles everything in her life with a unique determination that is all Gabrielle: from becoming fluent in Spanish, to teaching herself to flawlessly cook the most intricate of South American and Spanish cuisine, to becoming an accomplished bachatera dancer in her 30s.

 And now our friend really needs our help.

In early December 2015 Gabrielle was in a horrific, near-fatal car accident. She was changing lanes behind a truck on the Cross Bronx Expressway when the truck stopped, and her car slid underneath it. Luckily the accident happened close to the trauma center at Jacobi Medical Center, where she underwent a six-hour surgery to remove massive bleeding, which had pushed her brain against the side of her skull. She then underwent a second major surgery to replace her C5 vertebrae, which had shattered in the accident. She remained in the Intensive Care Unit for two weeks while doctors stabilized her. She was recently transferred to the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Mount Sinai.

 It is still early days, but here is what we know right now: Gabrielle has, amazingly, suffered no brain injury. She is completely herself, laughing at jokes, talking, and making her usual astute observations about the world around her!

However, she has suffered a C5 spinal cord injury. While her spinal cord was not severed, injuries that high up on the spinal column are very, very serious and can have all sorts of life-altering repercussions, from total paralysis to compromised breathing. Currently, Gabrielle has zero sensation from her waist down to her feet, and reduced sensation in her arms. She is able to breathe fairly well on her own (a blessing), and her breathing is steadily improving.

Gabrielle is in great hands now, but is facing a loss of income as she recuperates over the next few months. Also, we would like her to have access to any additional therapies and equipment not completely covered by insurance that will help her to regain strength, health, and mobility, such as  a massage therapist who specializes in spinal cord injuries.

We know that she will tackle the rehabilitation from her C5 SCI with the determination and intelligence that has always defined her (she has shown so much progress already), but she does need some extra support for the long road ahead.

We love her so much and we know so many of you do too! Please consider helping - even if you can only give a tiny bit. We want Gabrielle to walk again and live a full and beautiful life and we know that she can do this.

Thank you so, so much. So much love to each and every one of you.

Devon & Leila