Goodwill NeuroRehab ‘brought my husband back’ after a tree branch fell on his head

Kevin Crowley was snowblowing his driveway when a tree branch above him snapped and fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, instantly unable to speak, walk or feed himself due to his brain injury. Once a World Champion-level swimmer, Kevin was suddenly unsure he’d ever be able to get in a pool again or return to his job as a respiratory therapist at a hospital.

It took months of treatments, but the staff at Goodwill NeuroRehab helped Kevin get his life back.

“A tree was overloaded with snow and the limb hit me in the face. It was this big,” he said, making a circle as large as his torso.

“I was with him,” his 12-year-old son Dominic said.

Kevin immediately passed out. The next 7 months were terrible. He couldn’t take care of himself, he couldn’t walk, he needed help with all meals, he was throwing up. The only word he could say was, “yuh.” Doctors told Kevin that he may never speak again — he may never act like himself again, a hard-working, fun-loving, caring family-man. His brain injury left him acting emotionally distant, impatient and frustrated.

“They told us we could deal with this for the rest of our lives,” his wife Trish Iaconeta said.

“They were wrong,” Dominic added.

Kevin started going to Goodwill NeuroRehab three times a week, getting physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

“They took him and worked their magic. After a couple weeks … holy cow,” Trish said.

Kevin worked hard at Goodwill NeuroRehab for months. Slowly, he regained his ability to walk (with a bit of a limp), speak, make his own meals and more. Goodwill staff are experts in helping people get back to life after brain injury, with special medical equipment to help practice the mind’s essential functions.

“Nobody knows what Goodwill does. It was amazing,” Kevin said, tearing up.

“They brought him back. I cried the day he got discharged. I said, ‘I can’t believe you gave my stubborn man back to me,’” Trish said. “More people need to know what’s going on at Goodwill. They give people their lives back.”

Kevin was able to go back to his job at the hospital and begin swimming again. Not everything is as it was before — his memory is bad, and he has other symptoms, but Kevin has come a long, long way in a short time.

“Anything is possible. That’s what I learned from it. I knew I was in big trouble. I wanted to get better, but I didn’t believe I could. My team [at Goodwill NeuroRehab] helped me change that,” Kevin said. “They gave me so much. They’re my angels.”

If you or someone you know needs help recovering after a brain injury, please get in touch with our NeuroRehab staff. More info here.  

Goodwill helps people improve their lives – whether through work, recovering from a brain injury or providing a safe place to call home. This work is possible because of support from people like you. Please consider a gift today to make sure people continue to build stable lives far into the future. Goodwill NNE is a nonprofit and your gift is tax deductible.