
<h2>Our Families: Gerard Montocchio</h2>

<img src="<?php echo $this->site ?>pictures/gerardm/portrait.jpg" class="portrait" />
<p>
    Born October 10, 1995 in Vienna, Austria.
</p>
<p>
    <img src="<?php echo $this->site ?>pictures/gerardm/thumb_GegiDadSwim12.jpg" class="intext-img-right" />
    I was born with a serious heart defect and because of that, my brain was 
    starved of oxygen and I suffered a severe, diffuse brain injury. For the 
    first four years of my life Mum and Dad tried everything they could to treat 
    me, but had little success from the treatment programs available at the 
    hospitals in our city, and I didn’t really progress at all.
</p>
<p>
    I was four when my parents discovered the "<a title='IAHP' href="http://www.iahp.org">Institutes</a>"
    and started doing my <a title='Intensive Treatment Program' href="http://www.iahp.org/hurt/programs/intensive.html">Intensive Treatment
    Program</a>. At this time I was functionally blind, totally deaf, I could only really
	move on my tummy on the floor about one meter at a time, and I couldn’t feel pain or hot and
	cold. I also suffered terribly  from digestive problems and eating was
	difficult and keeping my food down was even worse.
</p>
<p>
    After four years of the Institutes’ Program I was growing neurologically much faster than before
	the program, had learned to read, do some maths, write notes to my parents on an FC Board, get
	around the house
	<img src="<?php echo $this->site ?>pictures/gerardm/thumb_Gegi%20FP.01-14%20July04.jpg" class='intext-img-left' />
	crawling, I could hear and I started feeling much better. At this time we changed
	to <a href="http://www.abrbelgium.com">ABR</a>, not because we were unhappy about the Institutes,
	to the contrary. We all felt concerned about my physical and mobility progress and decided
	that we wanted to do <a href="http://www.abrbelgium.com">ABR</a> from then on.
</p>
<p>
    Now I am doing an <a title='ABR' href="http://www.abrbelgium.com">ABR</a> Program and many 
    significant changes have taken place.  I fly to Belgium 
    five times a year and we learn new techniques at every visit.
</p>
<p>
    If you would like to see more about me, my program, my progress so far and my family, 
    please look at my <a title='Gerard Montocchio' href="http://www.members.aon.at/gegi">web site</a>.
</p>
<p>
    <img src="<?php echo $this->site ?>pictures/gerardm/thumb_Gegi%20kruip%202%20-%202-03.jpg" class='intext-img-right' />
    Thank you for reading about me and considering the possibility of becoming a 
    member of our Society to help brain-injured people like me.
</p>

<h3>Updates for Gerard:</h3>