From Driving Sophia Loren to Facing Lifelong Paralysis, Cranston's Saccoccia Faces Uphill Challenge

From Driving Sophia Loren to Facing Lifelong Paralysis, Cranston's Saccoccia Faces Uphill Challenge

Al Saccoccia has always led a big life. 

He ran the popular Music Man Cafe in Johnston and worked in transportation as a chauffeur. 

In 2019, Saccoccia had the opportunity of a lifetime when he drove actress Sophia Loren over a period of days, getting to know the legendary actress.

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Now, he faces lifelong paralysis from the waist down after a medical procedure went terribly wrong. “This is honestly beyond the hardest thing you can go through,” Saccoccia told GoLocalProv in an interview. 

Complications from an epidural in November landed him in Rhode Island Hospital before being transferred to Spaulding Rehab in Cambridge, where Saccoccia has been updating family and friends constantly on Facebook.

Due to COVID, he hasn’t seen his wife — or mother — since the procedure. 

He did hear from Loren’s manager, who said the actress said she was “devastated” to hear about Saccoccia. 

“I said she could ship me off to Switzerland, I hear the healthcare’s great there,” joked Saccoccia.

 “If I don’t have my sense of humor, I have nothing," he said. 

Life Changed in an Instant 

Saccoccia said that his back problems dated back to when he was a teenager, when he believes heavy weightlifting took its toll in later years in life. 

He had his first spinal fusion in 2000, and had five spinal fusions in the years that followed. 

“I always went back to cutting grass, shoveling snow, riding my motorcycle — but I’ve never been below a five on a pain scale,” said Saccoccia. “I don’t like pain pills, I preferred stretching, ice, and heat packs. I knew if I went out for a ride, I’d be using ice for hours after.”

Saccoccia said after his last spinal fusion, he didn’t want to have surgery again — and opted for epidurals roughly four times a year to address his back issues. 

In November, he said during his “routine” epidural, he said his legs “felt like they were on fire from his waist to his toes” — and he “screamed for them to take [the needle] out.”

“I was at the ER for almost 24 hours,” said Saccoccia. “I called my regular back doctor, he told me I was screwed. Another doctor told me I’d never walk again.”

Since being transferred to Cambridge, Saccocia said the treatment at Spaulding has been “fantastic.”

“They’re among the tops in the country,” said Saccoccia.

But Saccoccia wants to get back to his wife and mom — and where he and his wife live currently in Cranston, his condition would make that extremely difficult.

“We’re on a steep hill,” said Saccoccia, of the need for a ramp for his motorized wheelchair he will need to use. He said a bed would have to be placed in the dining room to accommodate him, and even then he wouldn’t be able to access the bathroom. 

Saccoccia said he and his wife are hoping to find an area of land to build a new house to address his needs. 

Friends of the Saccoccias have started a GoFundMe to help the couple with his medical — and life — needs moving forward.

“I have a tattoo on my arm that says ‘blessed,’’ said Saccoccia. “When I had my previous surgeries, I had customers from the cafe come up to see me. I am extremely blessed with family and friends.”