Center to serve people with brain injuries

Allyson Scerri had a vision borne mostly out of frustration but also out of love.

Her father, Al Barone, 67, active, strong and independent, suffered a traumatic brain injury after falling off his motorcycle four years ago.

Scerri, a hairdresser from East Moriches, was his primary caregiver, driving Barone all over Long Island for the continued physical, speech and occupational therapy he needed. Her father has since moved to his Montana ranch, where he receives 24-hour care, but the experience led Scerri to other families caring for the brain injured and going through similar experiences.

Motivated by what she said was a lack of services for her father nearby, she pledged to do something about it. After two years of fundraising and grant writing, Scerri founded New Beginnings, a Medford-based community and rehabilitation center focusing exclusively on people with traumatic brain injuries.

"My goal is to offer one place where someone with traumatic brain injuries can come to get all the therapies they need under one roof," Scerri said at a grand opening Sunday attended by nearly 400 caregivers, friends, local lawmakers and brain-injury survivors.

Bobby and Mary Schindler, brother and mother of Terri Schiavo, were part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The New Beginnings facility is dedicated to the late Schiavo, the Florida woman who six years ago was taken off life support against the wishes of her siblings and parents, sparking a nationwide, end-of-life debate.

It is the first medical facility in the country dedicated to his sister, said Schindler, overwhelmed with emotion.

"People with cognitive disabilities are here to teach us about compassion and about love," Schindler said.

Scerri rented a 15,000-square-foot space in Medford and started the program with $250,000. It has a gym for physical and occupational therapy, meeting rooms for caregiver support groups and a large community room where those with brain injuries can come to socialize.

The center is among a few locations on the Island that offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Scerri said. Commonly used on flesh wounds, the therapy involves putting patients into pressurized chambers and infusing them with concentrated oxygen. The oxygen is thought to stimulate the dormant brain cells, but it is still considered experimental.

Tom Archer, 53, of Smithtown, attended the event with his son, Ben, 18. In 2007, Ben was struck by a sport utility vehicle while riding his bike. He now lives in a nursing home, uses a wheelchair and cannot speak. Tom Archer believes people with traumatic brain injuries need a place of their own.

"It was one horrific moment, but it's been a wonderful journey since," Archer said. "All brain injuries are different. If you believe enough, you can make anything happen."