Dec 29, 2018 3 min read

Though this Christmas had a bitter twinge, the Rusko family hopes that next holiday season is a lot more joyous.

Twenty-two-year-old David Rusko, affectionately nicknamed “Davey,” began his journey to Atlanta Friday morning for treatment of his traumatic brain injury.

He has been in a vegetative state at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., for six weeks following an accident at West Virginia University. His mother, Kim, joined her son in the air ambulance.

Family rotated shifts at his hospital bedside on Christmas Day. “There was a big emptiness there (at home) without him,” said his father, Dave. “We just hope next Christmas is a lot better.”

David Rusko was visiting with fellow fraternity brothers after a home football game Nov. 10. Kim recalls her son sent a goodnight message at 8:45 p.m. One minute later, he had fallen down a flight of stairs, and help didn’t arrive for two and a half hours. The WVU senior finance major and Uniontown native has remained in critical condition since.

The Ruskos had been advocating for weeks for their son to be transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a hospital that specializes in spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation, after doctors at Ruby told them there wasn’t much more they could do. The facility has fewer than 200 beds and is selective with admission. Once Davey was accepted, the family was thrilled, but their insurance, UPMC Health Plan, initially denied the transfer.

Their appeal was successful, and now Davey is off to a facility his family feels is better suited to treat his traumatic brain injury.

Despite the chaos, Dave said they still tried to make the holiday special for their 5-year-old daughter, but it was difficult “with my son laying in a hospital room,” unable to communicate.

“It was a tough, emotional day,” he said.

On Wednesday, the family continued to try to get answers from UPMC.

“It seems like a blur,” Dave said of the past few days, a flurry of phone calls and meetings.

The Ruskos wanted information. They wanted their questions answered. By late afternoon Wednesday, they finally received word that the transfer was a go. Thursday was spent finalizing the details.

“I’ll give them (UPMC) the benefit of the doubt and say they re-evaluated his condition,” Dave said. “Or they caved in to intense media pressure.”

Though they were overcome with relief, Dave couldn’t help but think of all the voices that don’t get heard and those who don’t have the resources to fight a large company’s rejection. To anyone facing a similar situation, Dave said to keep fighting.

“Make your voice heard. Don’t give up. The public cares, believe me.”

Dave feels it’s cruel and frustrating the amount of power insurance companies can hold when it comes to these critical health decisions.

“It’s sad that’s the way that health care and insurance works,” he said. “Don’t put money over people’s health. That’s a crime, in my eyes.”

The family is grateful for the unbelievable outpouring of support. Friends and strangers alike have reached out and offered their well wishes. There’s a lot of thanks to go around.

“We thank UPMC for finding their heart and giving my son this opportunity, and we thank Ruby for getting my son to this point, but my main thanks go to God,” Kim said.

In the biblical narrative, lone David eventually bests Goliath.

“David won. Our David won this battle. We give all the credit to God,” Dave said.