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Dan Mollino and his wife are both avid bikers. Mollino will be riding cross country to bring awareness to traumatic brain injury. (Photo courtesy Kessler Foundation).

WEST ORANGE — In August of 2010, Dan Mollino was training for a cross-country bike trip. The Ringwood resident had an affinity for extreme sports like skydiving and scuba diving, and had been biking since childhood.

His training came to a screeching halt on Aug. 11, 2010, when he was working for a cable company at the top of a telephone line in Teaneck. Mollino fell about 20 feet from the top of the post to the ground. He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors realized he had suffered from a traumatic brain injury.

"My family was told that I probably wouldn't make the night," Mollino, now 31, said in a phone interview.

But, he did. Doctors removed a portion of Mollino's skull to relieve the pressure on his brain, and placed him in a medically induced coma, he said. When he woke up, he could not walk or talk.

Mollino spent nearly two years undergoing in- and out-patient therapy at the Kessler Rehabilitation Center in West Orange. As he regained his ability to speak and walk, Mollino said it was extremely unlikely that he would ever again bike ride.

"The hardest thing was getting my balance back," he said. "I just couldn't get the balance to be able to get back on the bike. But, to be fair, (when I woke up), I couldn't talk. I had a lot to do...But, I wanted to at least get something back from my old life."

Mollino said therapeutic horseback riding finally gave him the balance to get back on a bike. Once he began riding again, he jumped right back into what he was doing before his accident - training for a cross-country trip.

"This time, I had a cause to bike for," Mollino said. "I don't have a goal or anything like that; however much money I can raise for the Kessler Foundation, and to raise awareness for traumatic brain injuries, the better."

Dan Mollino in the hospital after his 20-foot fall in 2010. (Photo courtesy Kessler Foundation)

Mollino is setting off on his solo cross-country bike trip Monday morning from the Kessler Center in West Orange. He is anticipating returning home sometime in June.

"Dan serves as a model for what is possible in recovery after a brain injury with hard work and determination," Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation said in a statement.

"We wish Dan the best of luck in his ride across country and thank him for encouraging others to donate."

Mollino said he does still have lingering side effects from his injury - the shunt in his head needs to be adjusted twice a year, and he suffers from memory loss, fatigue, double vision, hearing loss, and other symptoms.

But, Mollino said he doesn't focus on the remaining effects.

"Hopefully, people can be inspired by the recovery that I went through," he said.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.