Keeping Up With Nick

Last week we introduced you to Nick Tusant, a patient in the Totally Kids Acute Rehabilitation Hospital. We wanted to bring you an update on Nick, and the love and support his family has received since his accident.

As a patient in our acute rehabilitation hospital, Nick Tusant goes out of his way to make our nurses and therapists smile with a simple comment, a joke, or a kind word. This is especially heartwarming when you consider that just a few months ago Nick had a terrible accident that nearly cost him his life. Although his injuries were so intense and his memories of the accident are so painful to him, Nick can always be found to be in good spirits. The love and support he receives from his family, his friends, and even strangers, fuels his enthusiasm and positive attitude.

We have been fortunate to see that love and support being poured on Nick several times on our campus. Recently, a reporter from the Press Enterprise came to interview Nick and his parents for a story that would appear on the Sunday Edition of the paper. (You can read the story at http://www.pe.com/2017/07/15/teen-injured-walking-to-hemet-school-making-progress-in-his-recovery/). During the interview, the love Nick’s parents, Richard and Jessica, feel for him was unmistakable. They were joyful to talk about how much Nick’s health and condition has improved. Their faces lit up with excitement as they explained how soon Nick would be able to go home with them.

Nick is loved by many, many people. So much so, that on any given day you can run into someone visiting him. In addition to his parents, Nick is usually in the company of his girlfriend, Cameryn, or his friend, Anthony, who are there to keep him company and give him support and encouragement. They have joined him several times during his intense therapy sessions. They cheer and challenge him to push on and finish every session no matter how difficult. They want him to meet each of his therapy goals just as much as Nick does! That level of support has made a marked difference in Nick’s recovery.

Support has also come from other community members who found out about Nick’s accident and felt compelled to help in a variety of ways. Members of the community took it upon themselves to organize a car wash to raise money for Nick. When a GoFundMe campaign started, more than $9000 was raised by the donations of more than 160 people. Even though some people were strangers, they wanted to express their support for Nick as if to say, \”We are with you kid!\” 

A few weeks ago, a team from the Ghosch Auto Group in Hemet, came to our hospital to deliver an extra special gift to Nick\’s family.  Waiting for Nick\’s family  was a  Ford C-Max hybrid that the auto group donated to the family. This car is a tremendous blessing to them! Nick\’s family was having trouble making the long trek from their home in Hemet to Totally Kids every day in their old Saturn. This new vehicle will also be a blessing to Nick\’s family when he becomes an outpatient and needs to return to Totally Kids for continued therapy.

Nick’s strength serves as an inspiration to other kids who are also receiving intense rehabilitation at our hospital. The love and support he receives constantly from friends and family remind us all of the important role they play in the recovery of each patient.

For a video from the Gosch Auto Group about Nick, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKYnO6WODx8.