A mother's journey from paralysis to empowerment

KATY, Texas -- Alex Gerbasi is a staunch advocate for human trafficking prevention. She launched the Oil & Gas Trafficking Awareness Group in 2017 to educate companies about the role they can play in ending Human Trafficking.

"In the city of Houston, the I-10 corridor is actually the most trafficked corridor in the United States because of the way it runs from here to Florida," Gerbasi said.

While she was fighting Human Trafficking, another battle was around the corner. In 2020, the Oil & Gas executive discovered a brain tumor that was removed in 2011 had returned. Surgery followed, but this time, it left her paralyzed on the left side of her body.

Gerbasi said it was the biggest trauma of her life, "It was shock and it was a horror and honestly I wanted to die. I had no hope."

Soon after she moved into TIRR Memorial Hermann to begin her recovery process.

"It was the best experience of my life. When I arrived, I was met with kind and compassionate people," Gerbasi said.

Her physical therapist, Kathy Gordon, helped Gerbasi get back on her feet and walk again.

"If there is one word that I could use to describe Alex, it would be resilient for sure," Gordon said.