Some of Tracy Morgan's talent may be gone forever, says his brain doctor

Tracy Morgan will never fully be himself again, his brain doctor tells the Daily News.

"He still has a lot of great talent left and he's gonna use that in a real prolific way," says Dr. Brian Greenwald, Medical Director of the Center for Head Injuries at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J.

And there’s no end in sight for the comedian’s recovery from the car accident that nearly killed him last year.

"Certainly Tracy still has a lot of goals to meet," Greenwald said. "I don't have an end date for (therapy) at this point."

But, Greenwald added, he and his team will “do everything we can” to get him to the best Tracy Morgan he can be.

Treating a brain injury is different for every patient depending on the extent of the injury and the patient's prior health, Greenwald said. So "getting better" means something very different to each patient.

 

Morgan gave a shout-out to Greenwald and his team when he broke his silence about the June 7, 2014 crash on Monday's "Today" show. The comedian was joined by his lawyer Benedict Morelli for an emotional interview with Matt Lauer.

“Incredible people over at (JFK),” Morgan said through tears.

He also praised Jackie Chirichella, one of his nurses at JFK, and apologized for acting rudely toward her during his treatment.

“When I first came out of the coma I was a mess,” Morgan said. “I would curse out every day, I would throw things at her, and the only thing she would say to me was ‘Everything is gonna be all right.’”

Chirichella tells the Daily News she didn't take Morgan’s behavior personally because brain injuries can cause confusion and agitation in patients.

"That wasn't Tracy, it was his injury," Chirichella said. "That's what we deal with every day."

The comedian came to JFK's Johnson Rehabilitation Institute two weeks after the car wreck that severely injured him and killed his friend and fellow comedian James McNair. He arrived in a coma and was treated at the hospital for over a month before being sent home for intensive outpatient therapy, which he still does every week. Greenwald now sees Morgan once a month.

“He came in here on a stretcher and walked out,” Greenwald said.

Morgan has diabetes and received a kidney transplant in 2010, which complicated his case.

"He (had) a lot of complex medical issues going on," Greenwald said. "I felt confident if any place could get him better, that we could."