Brian D. Greenwald, MD, is currently the Medical Director at the Center for Brain Injuries and the Associate Medical Director of JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Hackensack-Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

Dr. Greenwald is the Director for the Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute and is the Medical Director for the JFK Johnson Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems of care grant funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. He has been the recipient of multiple awards for his clinical work, research work, and teaching. Dr. Greenwald has published multiple articles and book chapters in the areas of brain injury rehabilitation.

Currently he is involved in several research studies to improve the care of brain injury survivors. Dr. Greenwald did his residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Kessler Institute/ NJ Medical School. He did his fellowship training in Brain Injury Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Greenwald has served on the Board of Trustees for the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey for nearly 20 years and is currently Vice President of the Board of Trustees. He is well known and respected for the care of his patients both in New Jersey and New York.

On April 7,1994 we gave birth to our second child and only daughter, Victoria. We were beyond excited to complete our family with a daughter, and to give her brother Anthony a baby sister.

Throughout her childhood and into early adulthood, Victoria had a kind, outgoing, and positive attitude towards life with and always endeavored to succeed. She was friends with everyone- from the loners to the “popular kids” – she never judged. Victoria also had an affection for the elderly and for children. So much so that she became a nanny to 2 beautiful children for 4 years. Victoria graduated from Iona college with a degree in marketing and stepped out into the “real world” to begin her career in market research.

On March 2, 2019 Victoria had an accidental fall. Five days later we were informed there was no brain activity due to a traumatic brain bleed that was misdiagnosed. Needless to say, we were totally devastated by this news. Our lives have forever been changed since that day and living without her is the new “normal.” A normal we will never get used to.

We decided to donate Victoria’s heart-a decision that we will never regret. We saved the life of a beautiful 19 year old girl who is thriving and living a full life.

This past year has been a struggle for our family, friends, and everyone that knew her. During the first few months after our loss, we decided to do something positive in her memory. With over 40 friends and family members, we organized a team, Victoria’s Warriors, and participated in our first BIANYS walk. As bittersweet as it was, it gave us some comfort knowing that we were contributing to such a meaningful cause. I chose BIANYS after much research. This walk is important to us in order to promote advocacy, understanding, and education of brain injury to the public. They provide support services and advocate on State as well as Federal levels.

Although our outcome was extreme, we hope to help others with our contributions to this incredible organization and look forward to remaining a part of the BIANYS “family” for years to come!

-Susan Fontana & Anthony Argentino

On February 19, 2019, Desiree fell into a ravine while skiing with her wife and friend in Lake Placid. She suffered numerous broken bones including her scapula, multiple ribs, two vertebra, right hip, right femur and left tibial plateau. In addition, she was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. After spending four days in a hospital in Vermont, Desiree was stable enough to be transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester via Mercy Flight.

At Strong Desiree underwent multiple surgeries. She woke up from a coma and regained the ability to speak and swallow. After two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit, Desiree was transferred to the Physical Medicine and Rehab unit, where she spent five weeks engaging in 3-4 hours daily of physical, occupational, speech, and recreational therapy. Although she was unable to walk due to the orthopedic injuries, Desiree made significant progress in activities of daily living, independently transferring into a wheelchair, and activities she could enjoy with her new physical and cognitive limitations. These gains were largely due to strong relationships built with her rehab team, support from her wife, and her unwavering strength and positive attitude.

Desiree was discharged from the hospital on April 19 and continued to make incredible progress in her recovery at home. Desiree loves her career as a nurse and was determined to get back to work as soon as possible. This goal pushed Des to continue to work hard in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. In September 2019, Desiree participated in the BIANYS March On for Brain Injury walk, completing the one-mile walk–the longest she’d walked prior to her accident. She also passed her road assessment, allowing her to return to driving. On October 29, Desiree returned to work part-time with accommodations. Since then, Desiree has resumed work full time.

Though suffering a life-changing accident, Desiree has maintained a positive attitude. She doesn’t believe that her recovery has been remarkable. She believes that she just did what she needed to do. She wants everyone to know that individuals with brain injuries may need extra support in recreation or work situations. Even with a traumatic brain injury, nothing is impossible. She is especially grateful to all of her doctors, therapists, friends, and family, without whom her recovery would not have been possible.