By Josh Sigler
jsigler@thepaperofwabash.com
WABASH, Ind. – Wabash native Chris Cosby was seemingly on top of the world. A father of four with a beautiful wife, Cosby practiced general surgery and was an emergency room doctor at Nora Urgent Care in the Indianapolis area.
That all changed on April 7, 2016, when his staff noticed he was acting strange while serving patients. He was unable to speak or respond to their commands. The staff called 911 and shut down the clinic out of fear that he had suffered a stroke. His normally bubbly personality left him in a shell of sorts
“His staff fondly called him Dr. Google, as he loved educating the staff on many varied topics like world and U.S. history, politics, stock market, trades, astronomy, wildlife patterns, bird watching, gardening, composting, basketball and up to date world issues,” said his wife Cindi Gonzales Cosby.” He always carried a heavy overloaded duffel bag of photos of his family’s recent events, computer articles, newspapers, Newsweeks, and National Geographic Magazines, as he passionately thrived on new knowledge of any sort gained.”
The family’s worst fears were confirmed. Chris had suffered a left hemispheric ischemic stroke. Luckily, the Saint Vincent Hospital Emergency Room was just a seven-minute drive from the office.
The 1985 Wabash High School grad underwent a life saving embolectomy surgery within two hours of arrival at the hospital.
“After being in ICU and on a ventilator for several, his eyes finally opened,” Gonzales-Cosby said. “It would be several weeks before specialists could determine necessary therapies needed.”
Cosby’s communication was nearly non-existent in the early going. He had suffered right side paralysis and blindness in his right eye.
“Bright right-hand dominant, Doc had to be taught to relearn how to do everything, including basic self care – feeding himself, bathing, dressing etc. again with his left hand,” Gonzales-Cosby said. It made her into his full-time care-taker.
It’s been a struggle for a man who went to medical school and law school.
“He could not sit up, stand up, walk or even say one work except an occasionally softly spoken ‘OK.’ (It was) indeed frightening.”
Chris was suffering from global aphasia as well. Aphasia is disorder which impairs a person’s ability to use and understand words. Although it does not affect a person’s intelligence, it can make communication extremely difficult.
But, through his tenacious will power he continues to improve every day through speech therapy, community involvement and serving as an honorary coach with the University High School baskeball teams.
“We all take it for granted yet communication is everything,” Gonzales-Cosby said. “Aphasia has been the most frustrating, crazy, confusing, scary and challenging struggle through stroke recovery, and, through new discovery (of) different abilities as post-stroke Chris finds his new identity.”
Aphasia has not affected his intellect, it just impairs his ability to say the right word or understand what is being spoken to him.
“Fortunately, medicine has advanced in research and we now know of brain plasticity and it’s ability to navigate new neural networks within our brain,” Gonzales-Cosby said.
Chris, 51, enjoys making it back to Wabash when his rehab schedule allows. His mother Mary Gibson-Cosby, father James and brother Monte still live in Wabash. The family recently attended The Price is Right Live at the Honeywell Center.
“There’s always a lot of laughter, food, photos and fond memories shared when we reunite a couple times a year,” Gonzales-Cosby said.
By All accounts, Chris had a great childhood. He was involved in theatre and was an all-around great athlete. He enjoyed being the class clown.
“He wants to find his humor and is slowly bringing it back into interactions with others again.” Golzales-Cosby said. “He remains quite witty and comical and is comfortable in the spotlight, as we enjoys making others laugh. He plans to practice his public presentations, so as to need little prompting to add to his humorous flair of the events of healing, and he himself, rebirthing, within his devastating, life-altering journey.
Always wears super hero shirts during rehab because he says he says he feels like a superhero, as he goes through exercises such as art therapy. The University High School basketball program has adopted him as an honorary coach, and presented him with a team ball signed by all the team members. The girls program had Chris climb the ladder and cut a piece of the net when it won it’s sectional a few weeks back.
The Cosby family is living off of disability, and as of May 31, will be in need of housing in Carmel near their son’s school, University. Contributions can be made to the family through the “Wounded Superhero fund” at University High School, care of Justin Blanding at 2825 West 116th St., Carmel, Ind., 46032.
A friend of the Cosbys’ youngest son Drej, Ayman Bolad, has set up a GoFundMe account for the family. Access the account at https://www.gofundme.com/dr-cosby039s-wounded-hero-fund.