YOUNGSTOWN — Vic Gasior, 51, a recently retired Youngstown police officer, suffered a massive stroke March 17, causing “significant damage to the right side of his brain,” according to a post on GoFundMe.

According to Michelle Boano, who organized the GoFundMe account and is a co-worker of Vic Gasior’s wife, Kim Zbell-Gasior, Vic served in the U.S. Army and also overcame stage 3 melanoma 10 years ago. Now he has another battle.

“Vic is still in the hospital. He is still in critical condition. He’s recovering slowly, but it is going to be a very long road to recovery,” Boano said Monday. “Their lives will never be what they were before this happened.”

According to the GoFundMe post, the swelling in his brain has led to Vic being intubated, and a craniotomy was required to relieve pressure. During surgery, doctors also discovered an infection in his brain and started him on antibiotics.

Vic retired from the Youngstown Police Department a little less than two years ago and “was enjoying his new role as Mr. Mom,” Boano said.

Kim Zbell-Gasior will be off work for a while to stay in the hospital with Vic during this acute phase, Boano said on the GoFundMe site. He will also need to go to a rehabilitation facility after he leaves the hospital.

According to the post, any funds raised will go toward medical bills and to help Kim manage the house and the couple’s two children during her time off work.

By Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe account had raised $3,780 of the family’s $5,000 goal.

The GoFundMe page is at www.gofundme.com/f/vics-road-to-recovery.

“Kim and Vic are like the couple that are attached at the hip, so it’s going to be very difficult for Kim to navigate from here on out,” Boano said. “They have two teen-aged kids. Vic does a lot of the home stuff.”

When Vic retired, Kim, who works for Akron Children’s Hospital, switched to a job where she could work during the day while Vic looked after the kids, “so it’s going to be a lot for Kim. Vic’s probably not going to go home anytime soon. He’s going to require a lot of care and therapy, it’s going to be a lot,” Boano said.

Have an interesting story? Contact Ed Runyan by email at erunyan@vindy.com.