A Glimpse at Tony’s Journey
Discovering where you belong is not always a straightforward path. Here at St. Louis Center we understand and accommodate the joys and sorrows of those who come to us. We’d like to highlight our resident Tony Cossentino and his family, acknowledging their struggles to get where they are now and commending them for their hard work. We are so happy to have Tony as part of our community at St. Louis Center. His joyful impact has been a daily blessing to us. Tony and his family, however, have gone through a lot to get to this point and we hope to continue to empower them to live their best lives!
Growing Up
Tony grew up with his parents and four siblings in Batesville, Indiana. Unfortunately, as he got older, he began suffering from lung hemorrhaging between the ages of two and five. It would get so bad that he had to be hospitalized. This dire condition was made more difficult because of the Down syndrome Tony was born with. He was in and out of the ICU several times and the condition was deemed life-threatening. He was eventually intubated after a particularly bad episode where he nearly died.
After waking up, Tony faced harsh side effects from the medicines he had been given. With his supportive family helping him every step of the way Tony slowly recovered from the stressful endeavor. The cause was unknown, there were many medical tests done at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and the Cleveland Clinic was consulted. Eventually, it was determined that airborne spores from a black mold in the house were causing his lungs to bleed. This stressful time was difficult for the Cossentino family but together they packed their belongings and moved to a new home. After moving, the Cossentino’s were grateful that the mold-induced issues cleared up for Tony.
Connecting with St. Louis Center
Tony was thrilled for his father Mike to meet Coach John Beilein (left) when he brought his team to the Center.
As Tony got older, his parents struggled to care for his special behavioral needs. His challenges became more difficult to manage. When he was 14 years old it was clear that the situation was not improving. His family members did the best they could to teach and love him through his struggles. His parents knew that Tony needed professional help to improve his behavior and relate to others.
Mary, his mother, searched for a place suitable for him in their immediate area but could not find one. After a long period of searching, his parents found St. Louis Center, which was an answer to their prayers. Happily, Tony was able to join our community in 2010.
“Getting into St Louis Center was so easy, I just called and scheduled an interview…at one point during the process Tony got antsy and Father Satheesh took him to the gym to play basketball.”
When Mary got her CNA license she began working full time caring for Hospice and home care patients. She worked diligently through the Covid pandemic until she was hospitalized with Covid pneumonia. During this long recovery time, she decided to move to Michigan to be closer to Tony but was unable to find a place. After much prayer and consideration, she called Fr. Enzo and he suggested that she move into the little white house here on Center’s campus.
New Beginnings
Mary is grateful that “little-by-little things are getting better. Easier”
Since the move, Mary has been a huge help in ensuring that Tony gets the best care possible. She has been able to take Tony to all of his doctor appointments and can give information on his medical history. With this support, we have been able to give Tony a fine medical “tune-up” by taking steps to improve his sleep, sight, hearing, and physical well-being. He is preparing for surgery on a significant bunion on his left foot that has been causing him pain and affecting his quality of life.
Cossentinos Today
Both Mary and Tony were elated to have his sisters Michelle (center) and Leah (right) visit for a few days at the Center.
Today, Tony lives in the Newman House and attends the CHS work program on weekdays in Chelsea. He is active in the Special Olympics program and the Saturday Morning Challengers Bowling League. In fact, he loves participating in basketball and all sporting events.
Read more St. Louis Center Stories that Inspire!
