After injuring three areas of his brain, a young father finds healing through an unexpected outlet.
"They didn't think he was alive," said David Rustico, referring to his oldest son.
"The first responders cut him out of the vehicle and laid him on the road. LifeStar was already on their way to get him, so they called and canceled it."
"And then … he moved."
"Life can change in an instant."
On March 10, 2023, Jason Rustico was driving on I-84 in Connecticut when a tractor-trailer pulled in front of his car.
Though the father of four recalls nothing of the collision, the day's horrific events are indelibly etched in his parents' minds.
"I was in a meeting when I received a call telling me that his ex-wife passed by a serious accident involving his car," recalled mom Janice.
"I couldn't imagine how bad it would be. I figured they would take him to one of the hospitals in Hartford, so I started to head that way but the entrance to the highway was backed up. Little did I know that it was backed up because of him."
Once on the highway, Janice received a call from Hartford Hospital telling her that her son was there.
“They said he was unconscious and intubated. That’s all they would tell me. We later found out that he injured three separate areas of his brain," said Janice.
"He broke his hip and his back and a few bones in his neck. His ear was severed. No one knew which way this was going to go … all they could say was that the next 48 hours after surgery were critical."
Weeks passed, and though Jason still hadn't spoken or opened his eyes, one moment gave his mother hope.
"When I hugged him, I felt his arms around me a little. That's when I knew he was in there, trying hard."
“It’s not just therapy. It’s care and love …”
When it came time for Jason to begin his rehabilitation journey, his parents chose Gaylord Hospital.
"We heard of Gaylord's reputation," David explained, "and a dear friend had been through a similar experience there, so we knew it was top-notch."
Janice remembers walking into Jason's room on his first full day at Gaylord and being surprised to see her son sitting at the edge of his bed with the help of therapists CJ and Emily.
“I was shocked. I hadn't seen him sitting up in over a month!"
With Jason unable to bear weight on his broken hip and knee, his parents assumed that he would have to "start from scratch and learn how to walk again." But after receiving medical clearance to stand, the 40-year-old shocked everyone by taking a few steps with a walker—and then putting it aside to cross the rehabilitation gym on his own.
Still, other challenges remained.
Jason's brain injuries caused a severe left-field visual deficit that caused him to drift to the right while walking. In addition to his intensive physical therapy and work with Gaylord's on-site neuro-optometrist, Janice and David spent every free moment tossing a tennis ball to their son to help him practice tracking movement.
The father of four also experienced an extreme aversion to anything in or near his mouth. "He'd pull away even if you came close to his face with your finger," David explained.
Speech therapist Allison patiently worked with Jason for weeks using various techniques until he finally ate a spoonful of pudding, an accomplishment, gushed Janice that "was a big deal."
Throughout his stay, Jason and his family were impressed by the world-class care and friendly, personal attention they received from the entire Gaylord staff.
"His therapists always popped in to see how we were doing. And from day one, everyone – including the people who cleaned his room – addressed him by name. That's incredibly important for someone's self-respect," said Janice.
Not just him, but everyone else she observed in the therapy gym. “One day I saw a young woman and it was her first day walking and she hugged her therapist and cried. I cried, too. It’s real. It’s not just therapy. It’s care and love from EVERYBODY here.”
Physician Assistant Mark Powers suggested that Jason would greatly benefit from Gaylord's on-campus Traurig House, Connecticut's only transitional living facility for stroke and brain injury patients, after hospital discharge. The program bolsters daily living skills while facilitating access to vital outpatient therapies.
"Traurig was the perfect stepping stone between Gaylord and home," noted Janice. “They worked with him on daily life skills, helping him relearn how to function in a household. They showed him how to do his own laundry, how to cook, and all of the things that he had forgotten.”
"There were a lot of challenges they helped him overcome. At first, he couldn't find his room, so they put signs all over the house to point the way. If he ate lunch, they reminded him to get up, bring his plate to the sink, and get ready for his appointments. It was non-stop occupational therapy, and they helped Jason regain his self-confidence."
Jason nodded in agreement. "The staff treated me like family—they got me back to normal life again.”
Running back to life.
Today, Jason is home, enjoying his children and pursuing a new-found passion that he says fuels the recovery of his mind, body, and spirit: running. He’s entered several races and regularly runs upwards of five miles at a time with Mike, his guide from Achilles International.
"I just ran the Gaylord Gauntlet," he said, beaming.
He recalled how, while still hospitalized, his family wheeled him outside to watch the 2023 Gaylord Gauntlet 5K.
"I told my parents, 'I'm going to do that!' And I did!"
Janice said that watching her son at the starting line and thinking about where he was only one year earlier – in a wheelchair and unable to move – unleashed a torrent of emotions.
"Life can change in an instant," she reflected. "But through it all, we're so grateful to Gaylord, Hartford Hospital, the first responders, and everyone who helped Jason return to us."
David added, "Gaylord didn't just help Jason recover; they taught us all to embrace our new normal."