Ryan to Begin Rehab

Ryan was moved from the ICU to a different part of University Hospital while waiting for a space to open up at Touro so that he could begin his rehab. While in this interim room, his condition continued to improve as he has been even more alert and, with the addition of a new valve in his air tube, is actually able to speak. He was able to identify "mom" two days ago, and continues to laugh at the occasional situation. He does get frustrated because his head is very itchy but because the pieces of his skull have not been put back in he cannot touch his head.

He is scheduled to be moved to Touro today and will begin rehab immediately. He will be working with a physical therapist and an occupational therapist to simultaneously work to strengthen his body and mind. He is ready to come off of the breathing tube very soon which is an important step in his ability to jump right into rehab.

Work is set to begin again at his house next week. Anyone who is in New Orleans is invited to come help do some work at the house Sunday May 22nd and next Saturday May 28th. It will mainly be painting the exterior and cleaning up construction debris around the yard, two things that Ryan was going to do himself to save cost and therefore do not fit inside of his construction budget. Both can be completed easily with the help of dozen of Ryan's friends! Please contact jim@pnola.org if you are interested. In true Memorial Day Weekend style, we will make it a work day/cook-out combo on the 28th.

Please continue to check back in for updates as Ryan continues to recover.