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Physical therapy

Police & Fire
'All I Saw Was An AR-15:' Dad Details NJ Motel Robbery That Cost Him Right Leg 'All I Saw Was An AR-15:' Dad Details NJ Motel Robbery That Cost Him Right Leg
'All I Saw Was An AR-15:' Dad Details NJ Motel Robbery That Cost Him Right Leg Friday the 13th of last month started as a night Selwyn Torres had been looking forward to for months. The 36-year-old Roxbury dad went to his first-ever concert: Eladio Carrión at Madison Square Garden.  Having been suffering from PTSD and depression since he lost his job during the pandemic, Torres finally had something to be excited about.  And it was a great night, Torres said. His only regret was becoming friendly after the show with the people who he said ended up costing him his right leg in a struggle for a high-powered assault rifle they used to rob him at the Roxb…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Teen Who Recently Woke Up From Coma Sees Community Support NJ Teen Who Recently Woke Up From Coma Sees Community Support
NJ Teen Who Recently Woke Up From Coma Sees Community Support Nelson Matos has been fighting for his life since his 17th birthday. The Nutley junior in high school recently awakened from a weekslong coma, and a fundraiser has been set up to help pay for his medical bills and medical equipment. As of Thursday, May 25, more than $42,000 has been raised. Matos initially experienced a minor cold and then acid reflux before being rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Matos had a stroke after surgery and fell into a coma. Upon awakening from the coma, he currently is suffering from paralysis and a speech impairm…

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by Sam Barron
Lifestyle
Morris County Mom Left With Severe Head Injury After Fall Gets 'A Little Better Every Day' Morris County Mom Left With Severe Head Injury After Fall Gets 'A Little Better Every Day'
Morris County Mom Left With Severe Head Injury After Fall Gets 'A Little Better Every Day' A Morris County mom and physical therapist left with serious head injuries after an accidental fall is getting “a little better every day” with support from the local community. Kristen Heitmann, described as a “devoted wife and mother,” suffered severe head injuries after a “tragic fall,” according to a GoFundMe launched by loved ones on Saturday, March 18. Heitmann is also a part-time physical therapist for children with disabilities, a career in which she is incredibly passionate about, the fundraiser says. Since the accident, Heitmann has undergone several surgeries and therapies — bu…

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by Valerie Musson
Neighbors
'Miracles for Michael': Community Rallies Around Baby Who Doesn't Give Up 'Miracles for Michael': Community Rallies Around Baby Who Doesn't Give Up
'Miracles for Michael': Community Rallies Around Baby Who Doesn't Give Up Since he was born eight months ago, Michael has been overcoming all obstacles in front of him. The Englewood Cliffs native was born with a brain injury that caused brain bleed, seizures, strokes and brain damage. He was later diagnosed with Hemophilia A.  Despite being given little chance of survival, Michael continues to fight. He has dealt with bacterial meningitis, epilepsy, hydrocephalus and had three brain surgeries. A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to assist his family as they need to pay for equipment, physical and occupational therapy sessions and hospital bills. As of Fr…

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by Sam Barron
Neighbors
Bergen Girl Bitten By Dog Undergoes Surgery, Sees Community Support Bergen Girl Bitten By Dog Undergoes Surgery, Sees Community Support
Bergen Girl Bitten By Dog Undergoes Surgery, Sees Community Support A family in Upper Saddle River needs all the help they can get after their 3-year-old daughter was severely injured after being bitten by a dog — and their neighbors are rising to the occasion.  On Friday, April 21, Willow Galasso was playing with the family dog when the dog became startled and bit her face, according to a GoFundMe campaign. She was taken to Valley Hospital and then transferred to Hackensack University Medical Center's trauma center because of the severity of her injuries, according to the campaign set up by Diana Reinkraut, a friend of the family. Willow underwent em…

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by Sam Barron
News
Support Surges For Lambertville Father, Furniture Store Owner After Series Of Strokes At 59 Support Surges For Lambertville Father, Furniture Store Owner After Series Of Strokes At 59
Support Surges For Lambertville Father, Furniture Store Owner After Series Of Strokes At 59 Support is on the rise for a 59-year-old Lambertville father and furniture store founder who suffered a series of strokes. Anthony Lukas, who founded N. Union Street’s of Iron & Oak with Mary Beth Barenborg, may be considered a “tall dude in a cowboy hat” — but he’s also a “force of nature.” At least, that’s how his many compassionate friends and supporters describe him in a GoFundMe created in early March after his heartbreaking medical episode. “Whether it’s strapping a sofa to his back and climbing a ladder to deliver it to a second story room, literally saving a man’s life, helpin…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Newark 'Boss Baby' Brain-Damaged After Mysterious Seizure, Mom Says Newark 'Boss Baby' Brain-Damaged After Mysterious Seizure, Mom Says
Newark 'Boss Baby' Brain-Damaged After Mysterious Seizure, Mom Says One minute, 3-year-old Alayah Butler was running around a pumpkin patch laughing. The next, the Newark girl was having a seizure — and then in cardiac arrest. Doctors aren't sure what caused the Oct. 7, 2021 seizure or heart attack, which left little Alayah brain-damaged and wheelchair-bound. To make matters worse, her mom Leah Butler, lost her job and is caring for her around the clock. More than $4,300 had been raised on a GoFundMe for the family as of Saturday, April 2, as Butler recently lost her job, and has been home caring for her daughter. Alayah and a pastor praying for her.Le…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Owner Of Edgewater Sports Rehab Center Charged With Unlicensed Practice Owner Of Edgewater Sports Rehab Center Charged With Unlicensed Practice
Owner Of Edgewater Sports Rehab Center Charged With Unlicensed Practice The founder and CEO of a sports rehab and medical center in Edgewater was charged with practicing physical therapy without a license, authorities said. Kim Pozharsky, 48, of North Bergen has never been licensed to practice physical therapy in the state of New Jersey, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. The New Jersey State Board of Physical Therapy Examiners also barred Pozharsky from “holding himself out to the public as a physical therapist or participating in any aspect of the care and treatment of patients” in a prior disciplinary action, the prosecutor said. Investigating a re…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
College Student Dead, Dad Hospitalized In New Jersey DUI Crash After Visit To NYC College Student Dead, Dad Hospitalized In New Jersey DUI Crash After Visit To NYC
College Student Dead, Dad Hospitalized In New Jersey DUI Crash After Visit To NYC What would have been a magical night for a North Carolina family visiting New York City became a tragic one when their vehicle was struck by a drunk driver in New Jersey. Ciara Gee, 20, her dad, Jerry Gee, brother Jerry Gee V and a family friend were 10 miles away from their destination when they were rear-ended by Sergio Seixeiro, 40, on Route 9 in Middlesex County July 18, authorities said. Ciara was pronounced dead at the scene while her dad was hospitalized with a broken vertebrae, broken ribs, a gash the head requiring stitches and a torn aorta, according to a GoFundMe page for th…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Jersey City Server Who Survived Freak Accident 'Just Happy To Be Alive' Jersey City Server Who Survived Freak Accident 'Just Happy To Be Alive'
Jersey City Server Who Survived Freak Accident 'Just Happy To Be Alive' One minute Vicky Karabin Marshall was walking down the stairs of her Jersey City apartment building.   The next she was laying in a hospital bed, unable to talk or walk, a chunk of her skull gone. The 31-year-old server considers herself lucky to be alive, nearly six weeks after the freak accident and subsequent emergency brain surgery that nearly ended it all. And so, as Karabin Marshall relearns to walk, talk and live independently, she tells her story as a cautionary tale urging others to take care of themselves, and take nothing for granted. "Appreciate life and every little thing you…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Make-A-Wish Foundation Grants Critically Ill Bergen County Girl, 3, Special Backyard Play Set Make-A-Wish Foundation Grants Critically Ill Bergen County Girl, 3, Special Backyard Play Set
Make-a-wish Foundation Grants Critically Ill Bergen County Girl, 3, Special Backyard Play Set A young Bergen County girl battling two life-threatening tumors had her dream come true when she received a backyard play set — courtesy of Jersey Mike’s Subs and Make-A-Wish. Riley, 3, has always loved playing on the playground near her Tenafly home, according to her parents, Jason and Nicole. The family was devastated when doctors diagnosed the young girl with both a brain tumor and a back tumor in January. She spent more than three months in the hospital undergoing four major surgeries as well as chemotherapy before her tumor returned — all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “P…

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by Valerie Musson
News
$1 Million Settlement Collected By Fair Lawn Driver Rear-Ended Stopping For Pedestrian $1 Million Settlement Collected By Fair Lawn Driver Rear-Ended Stopping For Pedestrian
$1 Million Settlement Collected By Fair Lawn Driver Rear-Ended Stopping For Pedestrian A Fair Lawn driver collected a $1 million settlement for a rear-end crash that his attorney said forced him to change jobs. Gjon Lahu, 35, stopped to let a pedestrian cross Fair Lawn Avenue in September 2017 when his vehicle was struck from behind. Lahu was seriously injured and required physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, epidural injections and other surgery as a result, his attorney, Mark McBratney of Siegel Law in Ridgewood, told NJLaw.com. Lahu, who was an auto mechanic at the time, had to take a less-strenuous job as a school custodian because of his injuries, McBratney said. …

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by Jerry DeMarco