April Favino Recovers from a Serious Car Accident with the Help of the Neurobehavioral Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann

Kammy Baumann was in the middle of a busy Monday when her phone rang. It was her daughter Jennifer. When Kammy answered, she was surprised to hear her daughter’s coworker on the line while Jennifer sobbed in the background. In the hours and days that followed, Kammy’s strength and resilience would be tested in unimaginable ways.

The Accident

Late the night before, April Favino, Kammy’s daughter, was in a serious car accident that caused her vehicle to roll over. April had to be extracted and was transported via Memorial Hermann Life Flight^® to Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center in Houston, where she was treated for multiple injuries including a traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractures in her neck and leg, a fractured shoulder and four broken ribs. While trauma specialists worked to save April’s life, a hospital social worker was searching for April’s family.

“They found Jennifer on Facebook, so they called and asked her to describe April’s tattoos so they could verify her identity,” Kammy recalled. “Her coworker relayed the information to me and said, ‘Someone is going to call you.’

Kammy rushed nearly 100 miles from her home in College Station to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, where she found April in a medically induced coma and intubated. Within days, April’s condition improved enough for doctors to begin tapering off sedation and removing the breathing tube.

April was treated at the Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann. Through a commitment to provide life-saving services to the Gulf Coast region, the Red Duke Trauma Institute is one of the busiest Level I Trauma Centers with a mortality index that is among the lowest in the nation.

“When I came back to the room after they removed the tube, April opened her eyes a little to look at me and mouthed ‘Mom,’” Kammy said. “That was a huge moment for me because I knew we could handle what came next. We had to take it one day at a time.”

As a result of the TBI, April struggled to understand the severity of her injuries and why she was in the hospital. Her confusion led to frustration, which led to agitated behaviors.

“She couldn’t be left alone for a moment,” Kammy explained. “The hardest part was to keep the cervical collar on her neck. It was uncomfortable for her and she couldn’t understand that taking it off could lead to more severe injuries. In one moment, she could be loving and in the next, she would be in a total rage. In those moments, I knew it wasn’t April reacting that way. Those were some rough, emotional rollercoaster days.”

As April approached the point where she no longer needed acute care, Kammy worried about how she would handle April at home. Thankfully, a spot had just opened in TIRR Memorial Hermann’s Neurobehavioral Program and April was deemed to be a good fit.

The Neurobehavioral Program at TIRR Memorial Hermann is one of the few specialized programs in the nation designed to address the unique cognitive and behavioral challenges that can arise after a traumatic brain injury. Staffed by specialists uniquely qualified to provide care in a structured, calm and controlled environment, the program integrates cognitive and functional therapies to accelerate recovery.

Led by Christopher Falco, MD, a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Lindsey Harik, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and Neurobehavioral Program Manager, the team works collaboratively to support individuals with acquired brain injury, helping them address behavioral difficulties while undergoing intensive rehabilitation.

Setting a New Course

“Our first step was to talk to Kammy and learn as much as we could about April, so we could create her customized treatment plan,” explained Dr. Harik. “For example, we knew that April couldn’t remember that she needed to wear her cervical collar and couldn’t bear weight on her injured hand and leg. To help with this, everyone who worked with her used scripted language to consistently reinforce these limitations. As April’s brain processed the same message over and over again, she began to retain more information and gain a better understanding of her current cognitive and physical condition.”

These memories were key milestones in April’s recovery and her two daughters were the motivation she needed to keep going – and not just back to who she was before the accident, but to a better version of herself.

“April has always been very outgoing and natural people person,” Kammy said. “But, before the accident, she wasn’t making the best decisions. She had a history of getting involved in unhealthy relationships and working in jobs that weren’t a good environment for her. She loved her daughters very much, but even she knew that she wasn’t being the mom she wanted to be, the mom I knew she could be.”

A key component of April’s treatment plan was psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy or traditional counseling. Together, April and Dr. Harik were able to move April on a more positive life trajectory.

“April carried a lot of guilt and felt like she wasn’t worthy of repairing because of past mistakes,” Dr. Harik recalled. “We worked on ways to reframe that narrative, helping her see her recovery as a fresh start. We also discussed potential challenges she might face and empowered her with techniques to navigate them successfully. True mental and emotional transformation takes years, but we planted strong seeds and gave April the tools she needed to grow.”

After just 18 days at TIRR Memorial Hermann, April was ready to go home. She stayed with Kammy for a few weeks before doing a test weekend by herself at her Houston-area apartment. After a few more test weekends, April felt ready to live on her own and moved back to her apartment.

“In addition to the emotional transformation we saw in April, there were several signs that she was ready to continue her journey at home,” explained Dr. Harik. “Her brain was improving at retaining information, so she was able to tell us why she needed to wear the braces she would be discharged home with. She also began thinking about her future and engaging in the cognitive activity of understanding the consequences of her decisions, like how not wearing the braces could lead to further injury.”

A Life Transformed

While short-term memory is still a challenge for April, she is thriving as she works to continue her education and, hopefully soon, buy her first home.

“The girls’ father had primary custody while April recovered, and now they’ve resumed the joint custody agreement, so she’s thrilled to have her daughters back,” Kammy shared. “April has a new boyfriend, who is absolutely amazing. And, she just recently celebrated 200 days of sobriety! April’s been very open about her journey on social media, and many people have reached out to her about how they’ve been inspired by her story. She’s working to start her own sober group because she sees the need for a community of people working together to change their lives.”

“I’m proud of the work that we did with April while she was here,” Dr. Harik said while holding back tears. “If she hadn’t been able to come to TIRR Memorial Hermann, I think it’s unlikely that she would have had this terrific recovery. I want April to know that she is strong, capable and awesome. I would remind her to look at all she’s accomplished and know it’s proof that she’s capable of doing incredible, world-changing things. To know how wonderful April is doing is truly the best gift I could imagine receiving.”

And, Dr. Harik wants families of TBI patients to know that April isn’t TIRR Memorial Hermann’s only success story.

“So often, we hear from families who were told that if their loved one was highly agitated in an acute setting, then they aren’t a good candidate for inpatient rehab, and I really want to change that belief, both inside the medical community and among the public,” Dr. Harik explained. “April’s story is proof that intensive, high-quality inpatient rehab can change lives. This is why I’m so passionate about the work we do at TIRR Memorial Hermann.”

“I had heard the name ‘TIRR Memorial Hermann’ before, but I didn’t know much about what it was or the work that happens here,” Kammy said. “Now, I can’t even imagine what would have happened to April and to our family if she hadn’t been cared for at TIRR Memorial Hermann. I would never want to go through this experience again, but I know that it changed her life for the better. Because of her own hard work and what she learned there, April realizes that she deserves to have a great life, and she’s working for it.”

Continually recognized as one of America’s best rehabilitation hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, TIRR Memorial Hermann is a national leader in medical rehabilitation and research. For more information more about TIRR Memorial Hermann’s specialized programs, visit TIRR Memorial Hermann.