Every small movement of the eyes or wiggle of the fingers provides hope for Rio Foster’s mother.
Foster, the Angels minor leaguer who suffered serious brain injuries in a car accident in September, is now making gradual progress at a hospital in Atlanta.
Foster remains unconscious, but not in a coma, according to his mother, Iris Cleveland. She said his eyes are open and he is breathing on his own. He can sometimes respond to instructions to move a finger, but he doesn’t do it consistently.
“The doctors tell me that by him being young and healthy, he could make a full recovery,” Cleveland said. “That is a possibility. But the thing about that is they can’t tell me a time frame.”
Although it’s been nearly three months since the accident and Foster still hasn’t regained consciousness, Cleveland said doctors have told her he’s making solid progress considering the severity of the injuries.
“We have a long road yet,” she said. “But he has a good prognosis. … He’s doing more every day. But you don’t know if it’s going to be a year, two years.”
Cleveland said Foster’s movement so far has encouraged doctors that he has the physical capability to walk again, once he regains consciousness. In the meantime, therapists are moving his limbs to maintain some muscle tone.
“They’re not going to tell me that they know he’s going to walk again,” Cleveland said. “All they know is that he’s recovering fast. He’s doing a lot of things fast.”
Foster, 22, was playing for the Angels’ Class-A affiliate, the Tri-Cities Dust Devils, this summer. In the early morning hours of Sept. 5, he was ejected from a vehicle that was speeding through a round-about. The car slammed into a fence and power pole. The driver was impaired by alcohol, according to Richland, Washington, police.
Cleveland traveled to Washington to be with her son for several weeks, until he could be transported back to Georgia, their home state. He’s since been recovering at the Shepherd Center, a hospital that specializes in brain and spinal injuries.
The Shepherd Center provided Cleveland with a nearby place to stay, because the family home in Athens, Georgia, is about 80 minutes away.
So far most of the expenses for Foster’s treatment have been handled by insurance, Cleveland said. She recognizes that larger bills will be coming as they navigate his care. She said she is going to need a specially equipped van to transport Foster in a wheelchair. He’ll also need an in-home caregiver when Cleveland returns to her job as a sixth-grade math teacher.
The Angels have been supportive, Cleveland said, including helping her get to Washington after the accident and making sure she had a place to stay and food to eat while she stayed with him. They have connected her with the Baseball Assistance Team, a Major League Baseball program to help players and former players in need.
A GoFundMe page created by Cleveland shortly after the accident generated nearly $67,000, most of that in the first couple of weeks.
“I just want to thank everybody for what they’ve done so far,” Cleveland said. “We’ve had so much support, encouragement, prayers. Even though money is important, being kind and supportive and just being there for people is important. If it wasn’t for the kindness of strangers, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”