It’s every family’s nightmare: a healthy, active, joke-cracking child suffers a sudden, traumatic brain injury, forcing him and his loved ones to redefine happiness as their lives are changed forever.
In 1995, Susan and Isaac Michalowski of Sheepshead Bay were doting parents raising two energetic sons when their eldest, Eric, a 19-year-old jock who wanted to study sports medicine in college, was hit by a van, leaving him in a coma, and then, after multiple surgeries, confined to a wheelchair as he learned to live again — from scratch.
Eric’s heroic journey to breathe, talk, move, recognize his family, and laugh once more is profiled in Kavery Kaul’s inspirational and critically acclaimed indie documentary, “Back Walking Forward.” It explores the injury’s aftermath, and spotlights the unconditional love and support of his parents, and younger brother Jeffrey, who provide Eric with ’round-the-clock care. It was presented to rave reviews at last year’s Sprout Film Festival, among other national and international venues, and is set to enrapture new viewers at a screening on March 18 at the Brooklyn Museum commemorating National Brain Injury Awareness Month.
“Back Walking Forward” puts a human face on a major global public health crisis, but its potency lies in Kaul’s masterful portrayal of an ordinary family dealing with extraordinary issues, using love, devotion and humor as therapeutic tools.
“After Eric’s brain injury, I was broken-hearted,” says his mother, Susan, a vivacious teacher whose words tumble out like a waterfall. “I didn’t know if he was going to live or die, but there was no time for despairing. I needed to take care of his needs.”
Today, Eric, now 35, eats by himself, walks with assistance, and holds conversations — gains which have surpassed the expectations of his therapists and doctors, who once thought he would have the functioning skills of an infant — if he survived at all. The miracle man is also horseplaying again, to the delight of his family.
“The other day, I was washing his face, and he tells me with that impish grin of his, ‘Oh, go wash your own face!’,” giggles Susan.
Kaul, who met the Michalowskis through Eric’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Kathryn Ko, shares touching glimpses of their daily routine, from trips to the rehab center and the grocery store, to family outings capped by jolly banter at their breakfast table. The award-winning filmmaker, whose movies — “Long Way from Home,” “One Hand Don’t Clap” — challenge assumptions, bridge worlds and shatter barriers, came away humbled.
“Susan and Isaac never lost a chance to crack a joke, and I don’t think it’s by chance that Eric teases us in so many scenes of the documentary — it runs in the family,” says Kaul.
Their seeming lack of self-pity is impressive.
“This is the hand we were dealt — play it the best you can, and don’t fold,” says Isaac, an electrical engineer and a former scoutmaster who now volunteers for the U.S.O.
He is seen joined at the hip with his son as they frolic in an adult aquacise class at Kingsborough Community College.
Expect to cry — and laugh — as Eric triumphs with a wit and maturity defying his injury: “I am Eric #2. I used to be Eric #1. He died in a car accident,” he declares in one segment. In another, he states, “I can’t think. No brain.” In yet another, he vows, “I WILL walk!”
The cheeky communiques indicate his profound progress.
“Tell Eric he has an attitude, and he wants to know about his longitude!” says Susan, who adds that her son, now without any neurological filters, is quick to speak his mind — sometimes leaving her rolling her eyes. “If he sees a bald man, he’ll say, ‘Hi, baldy’!”
The Kodak moments are provided by the movie star, himself, such as when he lip-syncs to Louis Prima’s version of “Just a Gigolo,” proving that even a traumatic brain injury is no match for the human spirit.
“Back Walking Forward” at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Crown Heights, (718) 638-5000], March 18 at 2 pm. Free with museum admission; suggested donation, $12 for adults, and $8 for students and seniors. For more info, visit www.backwalkingforward.com/home.html.
Reach reporter Shavana Abruzzo at sabruzzo@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2529.
