Former New Jersey state trooper Brian Malast was paralyzed from the neck down in a 2005 car accident.
The specially-equipped van has been a necessity for Brian Malast since he became paralyzed from the neck down in 2005 as the result of a car accident while on duty as a New Jersey State Police trooper.
The van takes Malast to bars to hang out with friends and to weekly therapy sessions. Most importantly, if Malast ever has an emergency, the van will transport him to the hospital.
But after 10 years, the van is no longer a safe means of transportation.
"Our biggest concern is this van," said Brian's brother, former Rutgers linebacker Kevin Malast. "This van has been through the ringer. This van is so beat up and it's so stressful on our family because you never know when something was going to go on it. We always stressed about it because that's Brian's means of traveling anywhere."
With the van increasingly becoming a hazard, Kevin teamed up with Frank Rodgers, a former State Police lieutenant colonel, who enlisted the help of the State Troopers Fraternal Association and the New Jersey State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association, to raise money to buy a new van. As of Monday, a GoFundMe page has raised over $66,000. A new van will cost approximately $55,000 and the goal is to raise $100,000 to be able to cover future repairs.
"The outpouring of support around it has been unbelievable," Kevin said. "That just goes to show the impact Brian has had on so many people's lives and what he means to people, and also my whole family in general. You can add the Rutgers community in as well because they helped fundraise a lot. A lot of these guys who donated are former players and some of it is donors that I got to know really well. It really is a special thing."
'THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE'
A linebacker from Manchester, N.J., Kevin Malast was expected to redshirt during his freshman season at Rutgers in 2005. But an injury to veteran linebacker Terry Bynes caused then-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano to play Kevin against UConn on Oct. 22, 2005.
"I'll never forget it," Kevin said of making a tackle in Rutgers' 26-24 win over UConn. "I was so fired up to actually be on the field for the first time."
The high from his debut wore off quickly. While walking to class with teammate Brian Leonard that Monday morning, Kevin received a phone call from Rutgers' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Joe Susan.
"Joe said, 'Your brother has been in a car accident, we're going to send a car to come pick you up and bring you to Coach Schiano's office,' " Kevin said.
Kevin realized how serious the situation was when he arrived at Schiano's office. Schiano explained that Brian had been in a car accident late the previous night and that he was at Cooper Trauma Center in Camden.
Kevin's father, Bill, then a lieutenant colonel in the New Jersey State Police, arranged for a state police helicopter to pick up Kevin on Rutgers' practice fields and take him to the hospital. Schiano and Susan prayed with Kevin as they waited for the helicopter.
"I figured out they sent the helicopter because there was a chance my brother could pass and my dad would want my whole family together if Brian were to pass," Kevin said.
Kevin vividly recalls the scene when he arrived at the hospital.
"I still can remember what I was wearing that day," Kevin said. "I walked in and there were state troopers everywhere, family, friends, people who heard and just showed up. It was a wild scene."
Bill Malast explained the severity of the situation to his youngest son.
"Brian was in a coma at this point and I'll never forget his head was so swollen because of all the pressure and fluid after he got ejected out of the car," Kevin said. "I just remember the look of panic on everybody's face."
After spending what was "probably the worst day of my life" at the hospital, Kevin was told by his father that there was nothing he could do at the hospital and that he should go back to school.
When Kevin returned to Rutgers, Schiano gave him the option of taking a break from the team. But football became a way for Kevin to cope with the ordeal.
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"I told Coach, 'I'm going to play,' " Kevin said. "The next day I went to practice and did my normal Tuesday -- I went to class, went to study hall, did my Tuesday practice. I was taking it a day at a time, visiting Brian when I could."
Kevin played in the final six games of the 2005 season, which culminated in Rutgers' first bowl appearance in 27 years. At the same time, Brian was making slow but steady progress. He woke from the coma and blinked in response to questions from his father to indicate there weren't any cognitive issues.
"Brian's progress was directly intermixed with when I started playing," Kevin said. "It really is crazy. I climbed the ladder in a certain way and Brian was climbing as well."
SUPPORTING AN INSPIRATION
Brian watched Rutgers' magical 2006 season from Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, where he remained full-time for over a year. The first time he saw his brother play at Rutgers was the 2007 season opener.
"I remember Coach Schiano had Brian placed at the end of the Scarlet Walk so I could see him," Kevin said. "That was a very emotional moment because that was the first time Brian saw me play in person."
Moments like that are why Rutgers holds a special place in Kevin's heart.
"People ask why I'm so tied into Rutgers," Kevin said. "I really spent the hardest time of my life there and that's why I have such strong memories and that's why I'm so loyal to these guys because they were all there for me."
After recording 101 tackles as a senior in 2008, Kevin entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. After two years bouncing on and off the Chicago Bears' practice squad, Kevin finally got his break with the Tennessee Titans in 2011, appearing in three games and making two tackles.
"If Brian is fighting, I have to fight," Kevin said. "I grew up a lot at the age of 19 when my brother got hurt and I never looked back. I chase Brian with everything I'm doing every day. Especially in the NFL when I was having a hard time making teams or getting cut and being back-and-forth between Chicago or Tennessee, I always thought of Brian and what he goes through. Brian has blessed me with perspective. Even though he wasn't saying it to me, the way he acts, how he cares about family, it pushed me every day."
With nursing care 24 hours a day, Brian lives on his own in a handicapped-accessible house in Whiting, two miles from his parents' home in Manchester. The 34-year-old former Virginia Military Institute running back breathes with the aid of a ventilator and attends therapy sessions twice-a-week at Ocean Medical Center in Brick.
"I'm extremely grateful for all the support I am receiving from everyone," Brian said. "My family has played a big role in getting this project started. I would also like to thank the State Police NCO, STFA Associations and the Rodgers Group. I am very touched by the responses I have received so far. I can't thank everyone enough. Words can't express how moved I am."
For all of the inspiration Brian has provided Kevin, the fundraising campaign for the new van is Kevin's form of repayment.
"This is probably the greatest thing I'll ever accomplish in my life, helping him with such a serious thing in his life," Kevin said. "It's just a huge burden lifted off of everybody's shoulders, especially our family's, but even more so Brian. I tell him, 'People are just giving you loyalty that you gave them. They're just repaying you for your service and what you did. You made the ultimate sacrifice as a state trooper.' I said, 'You deserve all this.' He really shows how you should live life and how you shouldn't be limited by anything."
To donate to the cause, visit Brian's GoFundMe page.
Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.