Through Our Rockland Readers’ Eyes

Brendan Ferraro was 39 years old and camping alone in upstate NY last December of 2020 when a foot of snow accumulated quickly. Being surprised about this weather turning of events he was unprepared for the mounting snow and was not wearing waterproof boots. In the morning with feet numb and fingers turning blue and also becoming numb, he miraculously walked about a mile to a Dunkin Donuts to try and get warm water and it was there that an ambulance was called to help Brendan. He was taken to Orange Regional Hospital, he then for more recovery at Northern Riverview Health Care in Haverstraw where he started healing and went for rehabilitation. Still in a lot of pain, later the pain subsided and he depended less on the nursing staff. Brendan was thankful that Northern Riverview provided many resources to him, which led to more of a speedy recovery. "The staff was personable and I had a level of respect and rapport," said Ferraro. "Once you maintain that, it was reciprocated, and I appreciated that. I also really liked the activities held outside on the patio, they were cool." Always trying to maintain a positive attitude, Brendan never dwelled on the negative. "I had a positive mindset and nothing was going to keep me from regaining my mobility," he said. Still at a very young age, one beneficial outcome of his experience at Northern Riverview was not only receiving professional speedy rehabilitation, but he had the time to think about his future and goals. On September 12, 2021, Brendan was discharged after a successful outcome to his home in Brooklyn where he lives with his friend.

As seen on Journal News