Former Professional Wrestler Receives Rehabilitation at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Following Serious Illness from West Nile Virus

Former Professional Wrestler Receives Rehabilitation at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Following Serious Illness from West Nile Virus

Due to the severity of his symptoms, Caruso experienced respiratory failure and paralysis from the neck down, and he was placed on a ventilator

After six months of rehabilitation at Gouverneur, Caruso is now back home, where he is focused on strength training to regain his ability to stand and move independently

Oct 31, 2024

Former weightlifter turned Fight the World (FTW) professional wrestling champion Fabio Caruso, also known as The Sicilian Slammer, recently faced his most dangerous competitor yet: a mosquito infected with the West Nile Virus.

As a child, Caruso was inspired by professional wrestlers like Bret Hart and Paul Levesque (Triple H), which set him on the same path at age 30. Unfortunately, Caruso ended his career as a professional wrestler following a kidney transplant in 2022.

While recovering from the transplant, Caruso contracted West Nile Virus from a mosquito bite while working in his yard in September 2023. As an immunocompromised patient, he experienced exacerbated illness, including high fever and memory loss for over two months, resulting in admission to the Intensive Care Unit at NYU Langone. Due to the severity of his symptoms, Caruso experienced respiratory failure and paralysis from the neck down, and he was placed on a ventilator.

According to the CDC, individuals with medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease, or who have undergone organ transplants, are at an increased risk of serious health complications from West Nile Virus.

Following his care at NYU Langone Rusk Rehabilitation, Caruso was admitted for sub-acute rehabilitation at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur. For six months, Caruso received continuous rehabilitation services, navigating the complexities of insurance with the support of the social services team, community partners, and his family. He required assistive support, including a motorized lift for bed transfers and assistance from two people for positioning. His therapies included using the Sara Stedy standing aid during bed and seat transfers to gain balance and mobility; physical therapy to reduce pain and improve range of motion; and mild electrical currents to help with pain management and muscle recovery.

In July 2024, he was safely discharged to the community with clinical support and social services in place so he continues to thrive.

"When I arrived to Gouverneur, I was still in a lot of pain and questioning why this was happening to me. I was discouraged and didn't care about getting better," said Former Gouverneur Resident Fabio Caruso. "Things took a turn for the better once I began working with my Occupational Therapist, Lina - within a month, there was drastic improvement. Her level of work ethic doesn't exist anymore and she should be acknowledged."

"The therapist worked with him on the level he needed to work at and she pushed him to the point of recovery. She worked above and beyond to make sure his needs were met and even sacrificed some of her personal time to help him reach his goals," said Irene Caruso, wife of Fabio Caruso. "Fabio was always someone that took physical training very seriously, so he tapped into his experiences with weight lifting and wrestling to bring the same motivation to rehabilitation."

"The staff at Gouverneur recognized the fighter inside Mr. Caruso from the day he arrived and helped him get back to standing tall and ready. It was a pleasure to see the joy in his and his family's faces as they prepared to go home," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Chief Executive Officer Susan Sales, MPA, FACHE, LNHA.

"Working with Fabio was a pleasure. He was hard-working, determined and never gave up. He was an inspiration to all of us," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur Occupational Therapist Lina Arias, OTR.

"Notably, Mr. Caruso achieved the milestone of standing with physical lifting assistance, a significant accomplishment given his circumstances," said NYC Health + Hospitals/ Gouverneur Director of Rehabilitation Danny Wong, DPT. "His case exemplifies the potential of our healthcare system to restore individuals to their communities, even in the face of lifelong functional deficits."

When asked what contributed to his healing journey, Caruso said, "Aside from my faith, it was my wife and seven-year-old daughter who encouraged me to get where I am today."

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Media Contact: Rafael Dominguez, 646-988-3599

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
Conveniently located on Manhattan's Lower East Side and accessible by mass transportation from most parts of New York City, NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur operates a 295-bed Nursing Facility, providing state-of-the-art care for short-term rehabilitation, long-term and hospice care. Gouverneur is an academic affiliate of NYU School of Medicine and Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, providing high-quality sub-acute rehabilitation medicine and skilled nursing services.Gouverneur has been meeting the healthcare needs of New Yorkers for more than a century. The facility received a 5-star CMS Overall Rating and 5-Star CMS Quality Rating; ranked #4 in Newsweek's 2025 Best Nursing Homes in New York, and has earned high-performance rating in long-term care and short-term rehabilitation by U.S. News & World Report - 2024 Best Nursing Homes. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/gouverneur.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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