It’s one thing to say that you appreciate life because you’ve heard it can change in an instant, but until it actually does, you genuinely don’t know how impactful those words really are.
Life did just that for Newtown Square resident Gabe Piselli on March 23, 2019. What began as a typical day spent cutting down trees turned into a tragic accident that almost took Gabe’s life and ultimately left him paralyzed from the waist down. His story is one of determination, grit, resilience and a commitment to show his young boys that no matter what, you can never give up.
Gabe has always been an outdoorsman. “I love being outdoors — I’ve been outside all my life,” he said. Gabe grew up learning the trades in his family’s construction business in Delaware County. After high school, he went to Temple University, earning a B.S. degree in horticulture and began working full-time in the family business.
Gabe then bought a 100-acre timber stand in a remote area in Northeast Pennsylvania and started his own construction firm. “My construction business was varied — from straight construction to concrete and asphalt and blacktop,” he said. “I’m a heavy equipment operator and worked trees as a climber and feller.”
Life was good for Gabe, his wife Adrienne and their two boys, Luke and Dylan. They were living comfortably in a split-level home in Springfield with lots of family nearby. Gabe’s timber stand was flourishing, and it was time to make a timber stand improvement. “This is a process where a few buddies and I were eliminating trees that were of low monetary value or value to the wildlife,” Gabe explained. “I’ve cut thousands of trees in my life, and unfortunately, one thing went wrong, and this tree literally crushed me.”
The tree that fell on him broke his spine, his ribs and collapsed his lungs. Despite his massive injuries, Gabe never lost consciousness. “I knew immediately that I couldn’t move, and I remember thinking that I was lying in an odd position,” he said. The road to the accident site was difficult terrain, and Gabe worried about how a medical crew would reach him. “The road in and out is made for pick-up trucks and four-wheelers, not rescue vehicles and EMS,” he said. “Fortunately, there was enough open land for a helicopter, and I was life-flighted to Geisinger Hospital in Scranton.”
While the team at Geisinger helped stabilize Gabe, they weren’t equipped to handle the severity of his injuries, so he was life-flighted again to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.
It was there that Gabe learned that his injury level was between T10-12, and he was told his spinal cord was severely crushed. He was told that his ASIA score– a measurement that gives patients an indication whether they will regain function – was ASIA A, stating “Grade A: Complete. No sensory or motor function is preserved” below the level of injury.
“I was told that I would never walk again,” Gabe explained. He spent ten days in Jefferson’s ICU and then six weeks at Magee Rehabilitation Center. What happened next took Gabe and his family by surprise. “After six weeks, they hand you a bunch of paperwork and basically wish you luck with your outpatient therapy, which is centered on activities of daily living (ADL). That’s it.”
Gabe returned home to Springfield but soon found that living in a split-level just wasn’t going to work. “Adrienne and I began looking for a home with a first-floor bedroom and bathroom,” he said. “We eventually found a home in Newtown Square that served my needs but had to be completely remodeled.” Gabe said that with the help of his family and friends, he, Adrienne and the boys were able to move there in February 2020.
As the months passed, Gabe aggressively approached his therapy with determination and refused to give up hope. “My motivation has always been my family. This whole experience has been tough on them,” admitted Gabe. “I have two young sons who are eleven and nine”. He also said that it has been hard for his wife, Adrienne, too. “Before the accident, she had a hands-on husband who took care of everything around the house, and now I am very limited in what I can do.” Gabe is thankful for their full support and his father’s willingness to be there every step of the way. “My dad has been there for me without question,” Gabe said. “He is there for every appointment, and I know that I can call him any time of day, and he will be there at a moment’s notice.”
This month will mark six years since that fateful day, and although the days, weeks and months can be grueling, Gabe is as determined as ever to keep working towards his goal of being able to walk again. “I have to show my boys that I will work hard every day and never give up,” he said. Aside from being present for his sons at home, Gabe attends all of his boys’ hockey and baseball practices and games – two sports that Gabe played in his youth
and early adulthood.
As far as Gabe’s physical progress, he has made impressive strides and improvements that defy his diagnosis. It began a few years ago when he was referred to the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, where he now visits monthly. Gabe’s regimen is extremely focused and intense, and his hard work has paid off. As a T-10 complete paraplegic, Gabe was never expected to regain feeling or movement below the waist, but now he has some movement in his legs. “My quads are like tree trunks,” he said. “I’ve had muscle response and
growth, but independent walking has not come to fruition yet.”
Not just yet, but that day is getting closer, thanks to Gabe’s hard work and some very generous people that he has met along the way. “During my time at rehab in Baltimore, I learned about an exoskeleton device that would allow me to get back on my feet,” Gabe explained. “My insurance, however, wouldn’t cover the cost, so I started a fundraiser.” Around the same time, Gabe became friends with a fellow spinal cord patient who learned about his
fundraiser. Impressed with Gabe’s determination and physical improvements, his friend decided to donate the funds for Gabe to get his personal, custom-fitted Ekso Indego device.
Gabe’s exoskeleton bionic device was built and delivered to the facility in Baltimore a few months ago. He is now in the “training” phase and hopes to be able to bring it home with him soon. “I am ready for this, and I have worked hard to get my body physically ready,” Gabe said. “I will be able to put it on and take it off without assistance, and it will allow me to stand up and walk independently.”
Gabe said that the first thing he will do is surprise his sons. “I haven’t told them exactly when I will get my device, so my plan is to walk up to meet them when they get off the school bus.” It’s something Gabe has dreamed of doing for six years now, and will surely be his biggest milestone moment!