Montvale Woman Learns to Walk Again After Life-Altering Brain Injury
January 23, 2025
Nicole Mooney could not have anticipated how her life would change on December 29, 2023. A day that started as a vacation with her family ended in emergency when a golf ball traveling around 100 miles per hour struck Nicole, a 40-year-old mother of three and professional golfer and coach, in the back of the head as she was stepping off her father-in-law’s boat.
She was rushed to a nearby trauma center, where doctors put four staples in her head to stop the bleeding, made sure she was stable and sent her home. Because she had a concussion, her mother—who quickly moved in with the family to help—woke her up every two hours that first night to make sure she was OK.
As the days went on, Nicole began to deteriorate.
“I had such severe brain pressure, and I couldn’t walk. I needed people to hold me up, to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t shower. I couldn’t hold a glass of water. I literally couldn’t do anything,” she says.
Holistic Healing
After struggling in pain at home for a couple weeks, her neighbor, a doctor, suggested that she see a neurologist. Nicole met with Ann M. Miller, M.D., a neurologist at Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center, who referred her to Jonathan B. Tiu, M.D., director of Neuro Rehabilitation at Hackensack.
Dr. Tiu recommended that Nicole meet with a comprehensive team of specialists, including a neuro-ophthalmologist to address her loss of depth perception, a pain management specialist for her head and neck pain, a sports medicine physician for the whiplash in her neck and a psychologist to help with the post-traumatic stress disorder she developed. Additionally, he wanted her to begin physical therapy up to six times a week immediately.
“Typically, physical therapy is two or three days a week.” Dr. Tiu says. “But for people with concussion, we now believe that in the appropriate setting, a specific type of exercise performed five to six days per week may help speed up recovery. Given our emerging knowledge about the brain’s ability to change in the first few months after brain injury, I felt it was important to capitalize on the moment to ensure the best chance of recovery for Nicole.”
Eventually, as Nicole improved, the intensity of her therapy reduced.
First Steps on the Road to Recovery
Though difficult, Nicole followed Dr. Tiu’s orders tirelessly. In physical therapy, she had to practice simple tasks like walking and getting out of a chair.
“I was the valedictorian of my college and could study for 10 hours straight,” she says. “Now I can hardly focus and need constant breaks. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
In addition to her traumatic brain injury, Nicole was diagnosed with functional neurological disorder (FND), which affects how the brain sends and receives messages throughout the body, causing weakness, movement problems, sensory symptoms and even seizures. While FND is very different from concussion, treating it often also includes specialized physical and occupational therapists.
Almost a year after the injury, Nicole continues to go to physical therapy and can walk on her own, but she still can’t drive her three young children around town. Still, she is determined to fight everyday to regain her beautiful life with her children and husband. Dr. Tiu says he remains optimistic that the endpoint of her journey will be a full recovery, but it could take a couple of years.
“The accident has changed my life forever,” Nicole says. “I still shake, jump at any loud noise and can’t imagine ever returning to the golf course. But if it wasn’t for Dr. Tiu and the team he assembled, there’s no way I would be where I am today.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our sources: Jonathan Bryan Tiu, M.D., and Ann M. Miller, M.D.
- To make an appointment with a neurologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about neurosciences at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
