Inova’s BRIDGE Program helps patients with traumatic brain injury get their lives back

Learning to Live Again

On Sunday, July 20, 2014, Steve Schreiber climbed a ladder in his backyard to finish trimming the branches off of a tree. His chain saw in hand, he dug into a particularly thick branch, but it wouldn’t give. As he was wondering why, he turned and saw another branch flying toward his head — and that’s the last thing he remembered for the next four weeks.

The fall knocked the U.S. Navy veteran unconscious and left him with multiple fractures in his forearm and wrist. Then, the ladder and branch fell on top of him, and the impact of the ladder shattered four vertebrae, the C1 and C6 in his neck and T10 and T11 in his back. It also severed his left carotid artery, giving him a stroke and eventually damaging his left optic nerve, leaving him blind in his left eye. “It was the trifecta of injuries,” he says. “Traumatic brain injury, neck injury and stroke, all in one.”

After Schreiber spent those four weeks in an Intensive Care Unit, he was transferred to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, where he learned to walk and swallow all over again. “When your body doesn’t do what you want it to do, it’s an awful feeling,” he says.

“It takes time and patience to recover from a traumatic brain injury,” says Roger Gisolfi, MD, Department Chair and board-certified doctor in Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation. “You have to relearn the basics, which can be taxing and frustrating. Steve has made enormous strides.”

When he was released, Schreiber enrolled in Inova’s BRIDGE Program, a highly individualized day therapy designed to help those suffering from serious brain injuries re-acclimate to their lives. Within a few weeks, Schreiber regained motion in his arm and, gradually, the ability to walk.

Today, Schreiber continues to attend therapy at Inova’s BRIDGE Program, and has made monumental progress in his recovery. He went back to work at Kongsberg Defense Systems and now works three days a week. He started jogging again, and rediscovered his passion for martial arts, working with his therapists on light kicks and punches. A year after his injury, Schreiber has reclaimed his life, and he couldn’t speak more highly of the staff at Inova. “They don’t just help the patient, they help the family,” he says. “And I gotta tell you, they feel like they’re family to me.”

Rehab Services in Northern Virginia

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital offers a number of rehabilitation services for patients suffering with various injuries and illnesses:

• Augmentative Communication Program, an outpatient service designed for clients who struggle to communicate through speech or non-verbal means.
• BRIDGE Program, offering day treatment to “bridge” the gap between the hospital and daily life.
• General Rehabilitation Program, a multifaceted program designed for patients with Guillian Barre syndrome, multiple sclerosis, amputations or extended illness or injury.
• Neurological Rehabilitation Program, a specialized clinic for those recovering from strokes and brain or spinal cord injuries.
• Wheelchair/Seating Clinic, a clinic for patients with limited mobility.

Recovery Matters

Learn more about rehabilitation services at www.inova.org/rehab.