Patients recovering from brain injury celebrate at prom

Margaret Kolin sat with her back to the four words printed on a mirror: "Admire Your Own Reflection," a difficult task after a motorcycle accident in 2006 left her with traumatic brain injury and claimed the life of her husband.

Kolin, 44, from Long Beach, was one of 50 attendees Friday at the first-ever Transitions of Long Island prom, which honored the small steps the group's clients have taken to reclaim their former lives. The theme was "Spring Garden of Light," and as music played attendees ate catered food, talked across flower centerpieces and eventually got up to dance.

Kolin was not among the dancers, but after two years in a wheelchair and now using a cane, she said she finally feels comfortable in her own skin.

Transitions - a part of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and the site of the prom - has offered neuro-rehabilitation for individuals with neurological injuries for 22 years.

"We . . . try to get people functional again and productive again and try to give them a sense of purpose," director Jean Elbaum said.

About 60 clients visit the Manhasset facility for physical, speech, occupational and cognitive therapy, along with memory and attention counseling. About 30 percent to 40 percent eventually return to their jobs. Roughly 2 million head injuries occur each year nationally.

Theresa Manfre, an award-winning teacher in Freeport injured in 2007 when she tripped on a backpack during a class reading lesson, has received therapy at Transitions since February 2009: She had to relearn how to read.

"But I'm getting better every day. Painstakingly slow, but I won't give up," said the Oyster Bay mother of two. She is now reading just above a fourth-grade level.

Manfre, dressed in a ball gown, formulated the idea of the prom after reading about "dress-up day" in former Transitions client Deborah Ellen Schneider's book, "Wind Dancing: The Gift of Healing Traumatic Brain Injury."

"We wanted to make a celebration of the positive gains, albeit small steps, so that we can become productive citizens again," Manfre said, gripping her husband Joseph's hand. "We need to increase our self-esteem and build our confidence back."

Former New York City firefighter Jeremy Riddle, 32, donned a tuxedo and played guitar after relearning the instrument only recently. Riddle, of Seaford, fell down a stairwell at the Wantagh train station in December and has been attending Transitions for six months.

"My new mantra is every day I wake up walking and talking is a good day, so today is a really good day," Riddle said.