Twenty-one-year-old Geanine was in a car accident in October 2004. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. Immediately after the accident, Geanine could not walk or talk. Her mother, Gerece, was living in Milwaukee and moved with her son, Geanine’s younger brother, to Tennessee to take care of her daughter.
After four months of rehabilitation, Geanine was discharged. She immediately began experiencing severe behavioral problems as a result of her brain injury. Geanine tried several times to hurt her mother. Geanine would often say, “I wish you would just disappear” or “I wish you were dead.” On one occasion, Geanine held a bottle of bleach over her mother’s head and was going to pour it on her.
Gerece never gave up on Geanine. She fought diligently to get Geanine the care that she so desperately needed. Geanine’s doctor recommended she be placed in a residential facility that specialized in treating brain injured patients. TennCare refused to cover the care. Gerece contacted TJC, and we filed an appeal for Geanine to receive residential treatment at a facility specializing in brain injury. After several months of battling, Geanine finally won approval.
Every step of the way, Gerece constantly supported and advocated for her daughter.
Since Geanine’s admission to residential treatment, Gerece continues to be a tireless advocate for her daughter. Some may have expected her to breathe a sigh of relief and take a break from the turmoil of behavioral problems caused by brain injury. Not Gerece. Gerece continues her active involvement in her daughter’s treatment and therapy and strives to ensure that her daughter receives the care her daughter’s future depends upon. Even though it took a legal battle, Geanine's treatment will open up many possibilities in her future.
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