Teen to appear in TV commercial for Cadillac, thanks to Make-A-Wish

The family hopes Brian's career path leads to medical coverage.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Television viewers will have a chance in coming weeks to see a local youth's career blossom.
Brian Mosko, 14, traveled to California last month to film a television commercial for Cadillac Escalade, a desire granted him by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The series including Brian's appearance in the commercial for GM's luxury SUV, is set to begin airing Sunday and continue through November.
Brian, his family and friends will gather around the television in their home Sunday to watch the Super Bowl, in hopes that his commercial debuts then.
Brian hopes for a career in front of the camera and while taping the commercial, an agent approached Brian about other work including jobs through the Screen Actors Guild, said his mother, Kathleen.
That possibility is particularly attractive to the family because a SAG membership means medical insurance, something difficult to get for someone with a chronic, life-threatening illness.
"That's been the crux of this whole thing, to get him medical help," Mosko said.
Medical conditions
A critical portion of Brian's immune system is missing, making him more susceptible to illness. His chances of contracting an infection are about 10 times greater than the average person's. People with the disease typically die between the ages of 15 and 30.
Every four weeks he receives an intravenous treatment that provides an artificial immune system. He's been undergoing the procedure since he was 7. The cost is $7,600 per infusion. His family's insurance covers him until his 19th birthday, but his need for the treatment is a lifetime one.
Brian also was born with hydrocephalus, more commonly known as water on the brain. He was also deaf and was diagnosed with Erb's palsy, a disorder that caused paralysis on his right side.
Surgery restored his hearing, and by working with his mother in home school and with the staff at Fairhaven's Early Intervention Program, Brian improved. He's a freshman at Warren John F. Kennedy High School and a member of its speech team.
"I'd like to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the partnership between GM and the UAW," Mosko said. "It was the most incredible, stupendous experience that any family could have experienced."
denise.dick@vindy.com