Two younger New Yorkers who overcame traumatic mind accidents — together with one who needed to relearn the way to stroll — are utilizing their new lease on life to run in Sunday’s metropolis marathon.
Alexa Casciano, 24, and Christian Longo, 26, are each becoming a member of the beastly race to profit the Mind Harm Affiliation of New York State in honor of different TBI victims who aren’t in a position to make the 26.2-mile trek.
“The flexibility to stroll, I discover that individuals take with no consideration. However we’ve legs, and we complain about what number of flights of stairs and all that stuff,” Longo mentioned.
“Why are you complaining about issues like that? You need to be caring that your legs can deal with climbing up these many stairs. These are issues that I all the time remind myself of as a result of they actually can all the time be worse.”
Finishing the New York Metropolis Marathon is very groundbreaking for Longo, who wanted to relearn the way to stroll, speak and “all of the fundamentals” after he took a terrifying spill from a damaged New Orleans balcony in April 2021.
The then-Tulane College senior mentioned he barely remembers something about his three-story fall.
His cranium was the one bone he broke in his physique — however his mind’s subsequent epidural hematoma left him with a life-altering TBI.
“I used to be like a child,” mentioned Longo, a Gramercy resident.
“The damage was on the best aspect of my head, which is accountable for a variety of your cognitive talents, like writing checks, what time it’s, what yr it’s … even remembering, ‘What’s the phrase for this, what’s the phrase for that?’ “
Longo’s TBI even prevented him from totally understanding the trauma he had gone by means of: In his thoughts, he was nonetheless performing at 100%, whilst he was struggling to speak together with his family members who had been rallying alongside his hospital mattress.
“Trying again, I do know I used to be coping with a lot and was not even a fraction of the individual I’ve been in a position to turn out to be at this time,” he mentioned.
Working the marathon wasn’t one thing Longo had thought of earlier than his accident, however he determined to place his thoughts and physique to the check this yr on the urging of his sister and largest supporter, a girl named Julia.
The duo has collectively raised practically $7,000 to profit BIANYS, a nonprofit devoted to supporting, educating and advocating for individuals and households impacted by mind damage and minimizing mind damage by means of prevention.
“Though I’m doing it, it’s not for me,” Longo mentioned of his upcoming run. “It’s for everyone who actually can’t run a marathon, possibly anyone who’s had a mind damage that’s left them certain to a wheelchair.
“God determined to offer me an opportunity to do that. I’m not going to squander it.”
The sentiment is one thing Casciano, 24, can get behind.
The TriBeCa resident has been residing by the motto, “Do it for individuals who can’t” whereas coaching for the athletic endeavor.
Casciano’s TBI stemmed from her 2018 prognosis of Lumiere syndrome, an especially uncommon bacterial an infection that may sometimes be handled with antibiotics however practically turned a loss of life sentence for the then-16-year-old.
For unknown causes, the an infection quickly unfold to Casciano’s lungs and mind. Inside a 28-day span, she underwent double lung reconstruction surgical procedure and emergency mind surgical procedure.
The illness left her with a titanium plating system in her mind that precipitated persistent, typically debilitating complications.
However she additionally discovered new energy from her ordeal.
“I went by means of this expertise, and I used to be actually fortunate to come back out of it alive and wholesome, however others weren’t. Protecting them in my thoughts and working on behalf of them is one thing extremely essential to me,” Casciano mentioned.
“That was a reasonably transformational expertise for me. … You solely have one life, so just be sure you’re doing every thing that you just wish to do and taking day-after-day as if it may very well be your final and actually residing life to the fullest,” she mentioned.
The race would be the second for the pharmaceutical advisor, who accomplished the Los Angeles Marathon in March purely to coach for the treacherous bridges scattered throughout the New York Metropolis race.
Casciano continued coaching by means of the summer time — even pushing by means of a 20-mile run simply 4 days earlier than she went again below the knife to lastly alleviate these migraines she spent seven years struggling by means of.
As with Longo, Casciano is working to profit BIANYS and has already raised over $4,000.
“I had gone by means of this expertise of getting mind surgical procedure and recovering from it, however understanding that persons are oftentimes not as fortunate as I used to be to have the ability to actually make a full restoration and have that have, to have the ability to transfer ahead and encourage others,” she mentioned.
