Support Christine's Car Accident Recovery

Whether you know Christine "Teen" Sciortino from a TV set, a yoga/Reiki/healing session, your 5th grade basketball team, or some phenomenal art creation, you know that she puts 120% into everything she does. What you might not know is that she was involved in a life-changing car accident in 2019 that has forever altered the trajectory of her life, co-opting her ambition and funneling it fully into surgery recovery and deep healing. She has kept a lot of her recovery and healing process private, taking each new challenge head-on. You wouldn’t know by watching her move about life now, with a full coop of chickens and beautiful basket-making, but she needs our support.

February 15, 2019 – She was working as a makeup artist on the set of the show Proven Innocent. To celebrate wrapping the show, she was on her way to the airport to take a much-needed vacation. Her rideshare driver had a seizure while they were driving, which caused a massive collision.

Christine sustained many injuries including four orthopedic injuries and a traumatic brain injury, nevermind the psychological toll. Some of her injuries were not diagnosed until well after her ER visit, and new side-effects and long-term impacts are still showing up. At that time she spent a week in the hospital, which included a major surgery to repair her left humerus bone. She spent many diligent months after surgery regaining movement and strength – immediately after the accident she had no motion in her hand or arm. It’s not lost on her that the possibility of amputation was very real, and yet the complications from this surgery continue today.

Christine has an upcoming surgery (October 2024), her 3rd accident-related surgery, to remove the titanium hardware from her left arm. She is undergoing this procedure to hopefully improve the ongoing pain and dysfunction of her left arm and elbow.

But her arm wasn’t the only impacted area of her body, she also sustained multiple fractures in her right foot, which is notoriously hard to heal. It took 6 months of non-weight-bearing time to allow it to heal. This led to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a nerve issue causing pain, weakness, swelling, and temperature changes, in her foot and lower leg.

She is still diligently rehabbing this even five years later. In fact, she’s been in near-constant physical therapy for the last five and a half years. In October of 2020, she had a left hip labral repair surgery, which in itself is no small surgery to undergo and recover from. Her upcoming surgery to remove the hardware in her arm will require ever-more physical therapy.

Not only have the physical injuries impacted her ability to work, but the amount of ongoing appointments is like a full-time job. Add on managing life-altering side-effects, and to say she’s been resilient is an understatement. The kicker is, if you’ve seen Christine recently, you might not even have any idea she has been dealing with any of this. As a very capable and independent human, Christine has done so much on her own -- she's admittedly not the best at asking for help. As they say though, sometimes the strongest person you know is also shouldering the most weight.

The first 18 months after the accident she struggled a lot with suicidal ideation, while navigating many hours of rehab and physical healing. Being several years into this healing journey, it’s clear that the financial toxicity of medical care is compounding what is already a challenging experience. It’s time for us to rally around her and support her financially to give her the freedom to heal without the added stress and worry about money.

Daily she experiences side effects and complications from the accident including PTSD, brain fog, memory issues, fatigue, dizziness, balance issues, and more. In 2021, she started neuro-rehab for a late-diagnosed traumatic brain injury / post-concussion syndrome. She has seen great improvement in her balance, vision, memory, nerve pain, and dizziness, but it’s not fully resolved. There is more neuro-rehab to be done, which is of course in addition to all of the other physical therapy. She has an amazing traumatic injury mentor, Richard Grunert, who at 88 years old, is the longest-living quadriplegic. But even with Richard's support along with other close people in her life, she still needs and wants to pursue a robust team to support her mental and physical health as she navigates digestive issues/food sensitivities, PTSD symptoms, chronic pain, and fatigue. This is more than a full-time job time-wise, and even with the best insurance, is costly. You can easily see how your donation will make a big impact in alleviating stress for Christine as this journey continues.

Your donation will help support Christine with:

> Medical expenses such as upcoming surgery, physical therapy, co-pays, ongoing neuro-rehab for TBI and CRPS, etc.

> Access to complementary and holistic wellness support that, while they make a huge impact on her well-being, are often not covered by insurance

> Supporting her living expenses; while rehab and PT continue, so too does our economy

> In the short term, especially because she lives alone: In-home healthcare, pet care, cleaning, extra help around the house/yardwork while she is recovering from surgery

Please share this far and wide, with everyone you know. As someone who has known (and adored!) Christine since first grade, and a cancer patient/donation recipient myself, there is absolutely no one more deserving of our support. Even with every hurdle and roadblock, Christine perseveres, spreading her infectious smile and warm energy everywhere she goes. She has a deep practice of gratitude in her daily life, and is already so grateful for your support.

It’s easy to feel disconnected with all of the heaviness in the world right now, and the one true remedy to that is participating in community. Let’s show up as Christine’s community and pass this donation goal. Plus, science says giving away money is one of the things that genuinely makes people feel happy, so what more incentive could you need?

In love and gratitude,

Julia de'Caneva (Tsarpalas if you're a fellow Trevian!)