Frank and Maria Tetto founded My Community Care Team because society has forgotten an essential truth: that family, home, and community are natural and empowering environments and that all people — regardless of disability — should be free to make their own decisions.
MCCT's success can be greatly helped upon the generosity of donors. You can help by donating via Paypal.
Brain injury is insidious it robs the individual of who he or she is. It robs the individual of his or her potential. It drastically changes the path of one’s life. It robs a spouse of a partner in life; It changes the dynamics of the relationship. It robs a child of a person to guide him or her throughout life; It changes the dynamics of the relationship. It robs parents of the dream of safety,security and achievement for a child and it changes the dynamics of the relationship. It robs siblings of common support, friendship, shared and remembered experiences and it changes the dynamics of the relationship. It robs friends and community of many potential contributions to the friendship and community and it changes the dynamics of the relationship. The constant is the fact that the individual who sustains an injury is robbed of part of the essence of his very being and all who were part of the life before injury of someone who sustained the injury no matter how mild are aware that something is amiss or more often that a major burglary has taken place. Change is constant but the change that comes with brain injury hits everyone like a ton of bricks. Luck is for the casinos, a positive attitude and appreciation that there is life and hope is in some instances all we have to hold on to. A support list is for support. The last thing that someone seeking support or understanding wants to hear is to be thankful that when we were robbed the thief only took part of our treasure. It has been said that when you loose material things, such as a home in a fire, all your belongings, or your job the positive persons can focus on the fact no life was lost and rebuild his or her life. I lost my job a year before Maria’s accident. We had a fire a month before Maria’s injury. I tend to have a positive outlook , I focused on my family and our health and I was thankful. Maria’s accident was different. I was and I am thankful a part of Maria survived. I also know that Maria was robbed of self and that the world was robbed of many of the possibilities of Maria. Despite the tremendous loss, I am heartened by the fact that Maria is alive and that new and different opportunities have opened up for Maria and our family. I never asked why Maria or why us? The answer to that question is simply why not us? Although I know the pain of the loss Maria sustained and the loss we who knew Maria sustained will never abate, I know that pain is from the awareness of the gifts that were lost on March 2, 1998. Maria had 12 great years. There are those who are born with disabilities who don’t have a chance at the wonderful childhood Maria experienced. There are couples who never have children. Individuals who do not have siblings. Couples who want and can’t have children. We are human and we have a selfish side so we weep for what was lost and the more we valued what we had the greater the pain. Life is irreplaceable and a life altered by brain injury is in many ways a different kind of death. We do not know what follows death. We do know what follows brain injury. Brain injury raises the level of our insecurities. It robs us of our dreams. It creates apprehension about our future. It leaves the survivor at risk of further injury and in all too many cases with a very uncertain future. It leaves the family especially the caregivers with the tremendous loss, the caregiver responsibilities, the emotional and the financial toll and the greatest of all fears how do I make certain that the love of my life is safe and happy when family can no longer fulfill the caregiver and protector role. We have all been robbed and suffered a tremendous loss. We all need the support that is found on this list.