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ON THE EVE OF FATHER’S DAY – A FATHER’S DEDICATION

At a certain point in life, all of us will experience loss, grief and disappointment. We will all be tested, all end up downstream or upstream of where we set out to sail. The truth about life is that none of us truly has our hands on the script.

It’s not possible to rewind the tape; no matter how much time we spend fantasizing about it with our head in our hands. In the end, it all comes down to a matter of mental longitude and latitude. And a great deal of perspective. You have a simple choice when everything is said and done. You can get bitter, or you can get better.

The one common denominator in the truly remarkable folks I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is their desire to not let circumstance define or circumscribe them. One of the greatest gifts of being a survivor is the ability to take your situation and use it to illuminate the way for others.

This father and son team is one of those dynamic duos. And I hope as we head into Father’s Day, that their story inspires you the way it did me:

When Joel and Dayle Goldstein traveled to the JFK airport lounge in 1985 to retrieve their new adopted son Bart from the Korean escort, her words to them were prophetic. “Here’s the strong one,” said the frazzled woman, after the long plane ride with the energetic infant.

Dayle & Bart Goldstein

At five months he could already stand and cruise and when, at age six, his baby sister Cassidy arrived at JFK, he was primed to be a doting brother. Two Korean children, adopted by white Americans, one Jewish and raised Greek Orthodox, Bart describes them as “destined to be a true melting pot example of American life.”

Bart was an A student, an intense and indestructible competitor in sports and full of energy and fun. “He was a dogged defender,” says Joel, “not at all shy about taking a hit. His opponents just careened off of him.”

In 2001, all of that came to a screeching halt. Bart had been out for a joy ride on the back roads near their upstate New York home with two other sixteen-year-old friends when their car plowed into a tree. The Goldsteins got the call that no parent wants to imagine. Their son had been medi-vaced 100 miles away and was on the operating table, undergoing lifesaving brain surgery. The Goldsteins immediately set out for the hospital. When the couple was finally able to see their son in recovery, he was so unrecognizable, they were only able to identify Bart by his feet.

Following his emergency surgery, Bart was in a coma for a month. Joel and Dayle, like millions of other civilian and military families in this country, were plunged into a completely alien universe, the macabre fun-house world of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Joel describes three months of hell, when, after waking from his coma but barely conscious, Bart was taken to the rehabilitation hospital. Ten weeks later, he began to speak. After that, he worked on moving his right leg. It was all painstaking baby steps at first, but each of these tiny achievements felt like leaping a mile forward.

Bart Goldstein & Family in Rehab Hospital

While his son’s losses were staggering, Joel chose to cling to what he could see as progress, despite the fact that both the school and hospital felt Bart would be better off in an institution.

As a TBI patient, Bart was in a fog at first and easily exhausted. Even the tiniest exertions sapped his energy for the rest of the day. His speech was mumbled and plodding, and as so often happens with a brain injury, inappropriate behaviors emerged.

Bart’s social world began to reconfigure itself, lifelong friends and even family began to drift away, confused and unable to relate to the “new Bart.” Joel and Dayle tried to come to terms with the fact that they had lost “old Bart” in the auto accident and needed to learn to relate to what they referred to as “the stranger in their midst.”

“Living with a TBI survivor is like living with a Jack-in-the-Box,” describes Joel. “Crazy is always just a half-turn away.”

Each of the Goldsteins describes themselves as “walking wounded.” The tragedy has reached out and cinched them all in. A brain injury never simply affects the patient. It sabotages everyone in the family the way a pebble ripples out when dropped in a pond. Dayle still feels anxious driving in cars, Cassidy mourns the loss of the close relationship she had with her brother and all these years later, Joel suffers insomnia.

But there is hope with Bart’s story. And there is progress.

When asked to describe how they got through this surreal period of their lives, Joel answers “the conspiracy of decency: kind, generous people who lightened our load. They seemed to spring up in the knick of time when we needed them most urgently.”

Goldstein Family, Greece, 2012Little by little, in the incremental steps that are the hallmark for anyone dealing with a TBI, Bart made progress. Bart underwent numerous therapies including cognitive therapy, vision restoration, hyperbaric oxygen, craniosacral therapy, sensory learning, neurofeedback, high-dose Omega-3 fish oil and counseling to help in the acceptance of new realities. He took two extra years to graduate high school, gradually mainstreaming from Special Ed to regular classes. Today, at 29, Bart is semi- independent and working in a restaurant. He has also been able to move out of his parent’s home, which is a major milestone.

“The accident transformed Bart’s life,” says Joel. “He missed out on many experiences during his youth that would have helped him grow up. He understands he’s not as mature as he should be.”

It also transformed Joel’s life and provided him with a very focused mission. He is an eloquent public speaker and a tireless advocate for the brain injured and caregivers everywhere. In order to help others travelling along the very same road, Joel wrote his first book, No Stone Unturned, as a helpful and hopeful guide for the journey to recovery.

Joel & Bart Goldstein, Greece, 2012“There is no royal road to recovery,” says Joel. “There is just a tool box with lots inside, and its always handy: prayer, community support, the ‘fellowship’ of TBI, and of course, thinking outside the box. Sharing what we’ve learned is the best way of making sense of it all.”

Today, Joel describes his son as a lively charming young man, living on his own, with new friends, and a new life. The Goldsteins are one of so many families who demonstrate how we can all come through even the most horrific experiences and find the resilience within to pull us through.

 

For more information on Joel’s book, go to www.tbibook.com

Cover Photo No Stone Unturned

leewoodruff.com

  1. Bart Goldstein

    June 13, 2014 at 12:15 am

    Freaking Awesome!!!

  2. MARJI YABLON

    June 13, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    I’d imagine this is a wonderful post for those who haven’t yet read Joel goldstein’s book or met the family, but I can say it’s terrific for those of us who have. the huge lesson I’ve learned from Bart and his family, and want to pass on whenever i can to those who can use it, is that if you feel there’s more hope for improvement than most advisers, professional and not, think there is — oh, yes, and if you have a good supply of stamina — believe yourself. as one DOCTOR — just one — told the PARENTS early on, the window of opportunity goes on for years. It’s not just one year, as others will tell you. To this day, Dayle and joel research, check with medical personnel to make sure there’s no danger in their alternative treatment idea, and then, they go with it.

    One more thing, if I may: it’s been impressive to watch Goldstein go beyond his fervent desire to to help Bart, by doing what he can to promote use by the military of the relatively inexpensive treatments that have so effectively helped Bart.O

  3. Amelia Moran Ceja

    June 13, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    what a powerful story! Thank you for sharing it! love, dedication, perseverance, patience, tenacity, compassion and science are all elixir to life! abrazos!

  4. AnnaMarie

    June 24, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    What a great story! I am so glad you made it through. It’s funny how when we are going through something like this we feel like we are the only ones who are going through this sort of thing, unfortunately and fortunately that is not the case. I know your story will help others, i bet it’s a great book. Woo Hoo for all of you!!! 🙂

  5. Nancy Morris

    July 8, 2014 at 9:11 pm

    Thank you for posting this story. it reminds me of my cousin’s tragedy when she lost her life in a car accident, but her 3-month old daughter was medi-vaced and survived. i can’t even imagine the challenges in life that occur from such an experience, but i remember watching the emotional toll it took on my cousin’s family dealing with the loss of their daughter and the brain injuries of their grandchild. this story reminds me that we are never alone in life. god bless this family. and god bless my cousin’s family.

  6. Meredith

    June 17, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    Joel and Bart are in many of the Brain Injury support groups that I am in too. I am a 25+ year survivor and have finally gotten used to/accepted the “new me.” And I’m ok with it. But when I read Joel’s posts about Bart’s recovery, I can’t help but feel a glimmer of hope.
    There are so many new developments, as we learn more about the brain. It’s a shame that most are considered, “Alternative” and NOT covered by insurance.
    But just knowing that this may not be, “as good as I’ll get,” gives me hope! Joel posts frequently about new treatments, assessments, brain scans and rehab techniques!
    I wish every Brain Injury survivor had such an effective cheerleader/advocate! Thank you for being a shining example of unconditional love!

  7. A Father's Dedication - The Bart Foundation

    June 17, 2021 at 10:48 am

    Father’s Day approaches, we want to re-share a story originally written by journalist Lee Woodruff about Bart’s recovery. Lee is a popular speaker and the author of three best-selling.. read more

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