Hello and a request

Hello friends of Ryan. Although our updates have tapered off, I wanted to use this platform to try and fulfill a request from Ryan's family. We are trying to locate video of Ryan from before the accident. I have reached out to our New Orleans friends and his local work/school affiliations, but have yet to receive any good leads. If you have a video of Ryan that you would like to share, please contact me (Whit) and we can coordinate delivery. Any help is appreciated.

Also, I want everyone to know Ryan is still doing well in Slidell. A group of us went out last month to celebrate Ryan's 31st birthday. He enjoys visiting with friends and, after some time at Trinity, has established a good group of friends at the facility. As we roam through the halls with him, you can tell he's still the popular and friendly person we remember.

Thanks for taking the time to read the update. Again, if you have video you want to share, send me an email or call. Look forward to hearing back.

-Whit, rslocum@tulane.edu

Jazz Fest Visitors

Hey everyone. Just wanted to take a second to post pictures of some of Ryan's visitors over Jazz Fest. Sounds like Ryan had friends visiting first and second weekend, which is great. He definitely enjoys being able to hang out with friends, even if it's just a short visit. When we recently stopped by to say hey, Ryan seemed to be in great spirits. Trinity, the facility where he's staying, is being renovated and got a nice new flat screen...just in time to watch the Celtics.

If you're in New Orleans or passing by on I-10, stop by and see Ryan. He's right off the highway in Slidell, and even if it's just for a few minutes, he loves seeing friends.

Post from Ryan's Family

Below is a message that Ryan's family asked us to share:

"Today marks the one year anniversary of Ryan's accident, and those of us in Ryan's family would like to take today to say how grateful we are for the unbelievable support that you, Ryan's friends and all our friends, have offered us. From the very beginning you stepped in with meals and helped find an apartment for us in New Orleans. You helped us find an office for Ryan's father. You provided rides to and from the airport for Ryan's visitors, and plenty of babysitting for Ryan's nephew. You pitched in to work on Ryan's house and care for his beloved dogs. You maintained this blog so that Ryan's impressive diaspora of friends could all keep informed about his recovery. You have sent loads of cards and pictures and you have visited so much that Ryan now has the distinction of being the most-visited patient ever at both Touro and Trinity. You have offered prayers and masses for his recovery. You have brought laughter into his room and smiles to his face even on days when he's not feeling great. We are in awe of the love and generosity you have shown us during this difficult year and we thank all of you for everything you've done."

Ryan's 30th Birthday!

As many of you know, last Saturday was Ryan's 30th birthday! Below is a picture from his birthday party at Trinity. We had a great day with pizza, presents, cake and Sadie! You can barely see her in the pic, but I promise that's her paw right above Ryan's head. Frank and Carol and several friends from out of town were able to attend. Ryan was genuinely thrilled to have everyone out there. He was laughing and smiling the whole time and kept making jokes about how he was still 29 and refused to be 30!

We'd really like to thank everyone who contributed to Jim's fundraising efforts for Ryan's birthday. Jim was able to raise $5,385 - http://wishes.causes.com/wishes/446538. It is truly amazing and overwhelming how many helped make Ryan's birthday wish come true!!! This financial support will go towards upkeep on his house and many other medical needs.

As an update on Ryan's progress, he continues to improve every day. While he did have a few leg cramps during our last visit, they have become much less frequent. He started a new medication for his muscle spasms several weeks ago. It has made a world of difference. He is not in nearly as much pain anymore. Therefore, his attention span is a lot longer and he is so much more comfortable. As Jim mentioned in his previous post, Ryan is 100% aware of who everyone is. He can name all of his friends and family. He is still not able to speak in long sentences, but can certainly carry on a conversation with a few words and clear facial expressions. He laughed a ton at his birthday party, which really filled the room with joy.

Ryan's brother and sister bought him a new mobilized wheel chair last month. I'm not a wheel chair expert, but this one is extraordinarily cool. It allows him to sit up and recline when he wants. It also enables him to get around more easily. He's still not permitted to roam around on his own quite yet... apparently, he bumped into a nurse one day. Knowing Ryan, he probably thought this was hilarious. However, I don't think the nurses found it quite as funny. With that said, he should be able to start cruising around on his own soon. The wheel chair also gives him a lot of upper back and neck support. In his previous chairs, he tended to lean a lot towards his left side and was mainly looking up and slightly crooked when he was out of his room, socializing. Now he is sitting more upright and able to see straight ahead as opposed to at an angle. According to Ryan's parents, this has given him much more confidence. We really think that Ryan sees the world in a whole new light and this a huge sign of progress in his eyes. He's also becoming a social butterfly at Trinity with his new wheels. He loves game nights and has made several friends. Every time someone passes him in the halls, we hear a "what's up Ryan?" He'll quickly respond with "Hey, what's sup!" I want to reiterate that Ryan is able to move his legs and will hopefully be able to walk on his own again with continued physical therapy. He is simply too weak to walk at this stage. We all know he will get there as soon as he can.

Ryan is going to remain at Trinity for the time being. He might be switching to a different facility in the New Orleans area in the next few weeks. We will certainly keep you updated if and when he does move. His parents are still spending the majority of their time in New Orleans. Ryan is so blessed to have such an amazing and loving family who is by his side at all times.

Christmas with Ryan and Looking on the Bright Side

So, it has been awhile since the last post.  I hope that just means that all of you are eagerly awaiting on the edge of your seat with uncontrollable excitement for this post.  I'll do my best!


First, an update from Ryan's sister Regan who was joined by several of Ryan's family to celebrate Christmas with him in Slidell.  


"Erik, Katie, Dave, baby Wesley, Alec and my father and I all went to Trinity to have dinner with Ryan on Christmas Eve. We had the conference room there to ourselves and had a lovely dinner from a nearby steakhouse. Ryan was glad to get a steak and really happy to see everyone. Wesley provided entertainment with some impressive dancing on the table and all of us had some good laughs. Ryan seemed much better than the last time I'd seen him. He was clearly enjoying being with friends and family and laughed hard at the baby's antics. Ryan's hair was longer than I've ever seen it and he looked good. My mother was unfortunately not able to be with us because my grandmother had a stroke just before Christmas and my mother needed to be with her, but we did talk to both my mother and Granny, and Ryan wished them both Merry Christmas. When it was time to go, Dave (Ryan's brother-in-law) asked if Ryan wanted a kiss from him or Wesley and Ryan said as quickly and clearly as could be "Wesley!"


Photographic evidence: 





Additionally, I visited Ryan on Sunday to console him (let's be real, I wanted him to console me) on the Saints upcoming vacation schedule.  Jan and Ken, some very committed volunteers who have worked with PNOLA for several years running now and both are close with Ryan and worked on his house a lot last year also came with.  I continue to be impressed by Ryan's improvement over the past couple of months.  It was a great milestone when it became clear that Ryan knew who his family and close friends were (both recognized and remembered).  Jan and Ken are folks that Ryan worked with for 4-5 weeks a few years in a row and he immediately knew who they were and was able to place them in the hierarchy of his relationships very quickly. 


When we got there, Ryan was not in his room (his new roommate Jack(?) let us know he was in the lunch room).  When we walked into the lunch room, Frita was just helping Ryan get set up to chow down on some rice/meat type substance and he spotted us immediately and said hello from across the room.  After lunch we returned to Ryan's room so he could watch some tube while he waited to get back into bed from his chair.  While the leg cramps started to creep up again, this is the first time I have personally visited Ryan where he didn't yell out at all and only dropped about 15 f-bombs (down about 1000% ; )


Ryan found whatever they were saying on QVC to be hysterical (either that or he was laughing at us).  He was able to manage his pain and stay in the conversation and remain upbeat enough to laugh (let's be real, it was really more of a giggle).  Obviously, Ryan has the ability to look on the bright side, and offered me some advice.


When I brought up the Saints loss, he pretty quickly advised me to get over it.  Of course the Patriots still being in it make it easier for Ryan to come to terms with the Saints loss, but really what he was saying is that football is great no matter who wins or loses and knowing his dad was coming to watch the Giants/Packers game with him (neither team Ryan probably cares about) was very exciting to him.  


Ryan is alive in far more than a medical definition at this point.  I wouldn't say he is going to be able to carry on monologues any time soon, but it has become clear over the last several weeks that when you visit you aren't just talking at him and smiling/nodding but you're truly visiting and having a conversation.  To me, when I used to leave from visiting when Ryan was awake but you weren't sure if he was there, it used to make me miss him more.  When I left from visiting on Sunday I didn't feel like that for the first time.  I'm very excited to see what is in store in the weeks to come.


It has been more than 8 months since Ryan's accident.  Still fresh off of New Years I encourage each of you to think about all that Ryan has gone through in that time and send him a thought sometime this week.  He is definitely getting them.  


And look on the bright side - as long as they sign Brees there will be a next season!

Sadie Eats Gunpowder

Meredith and I visited Ryan on Tuesday afternoon, just in time to sit with him while he fired down some chicken fried steak and mashed taters.  To mirror the previous post, he looked better than I had seen him in a long time and was able to run several sentences together that all made sense...so we had a back and forth going.  The most amazing part to me was when Ryan rolled his eyes in disgust when I told him that Sadie was wearing a bandanna around her neck - something I think Ryan worries may soften her street cred ;)  Afterall, she eats gunpowder for breakfast.

Ryan still had the goatee going and was wearing glasses.  We brought him up some sweatshirts to wear as it gets colder so that he can still catch some fresh air throughout the day.  His level of discomfort was noticeably less than I had ever seen and really the whole visit had a different vibe to it than previous ones as far as his responsiveness and outlook.

I think it's awesome that Ryan's whole family is coming down for Christmas and now is the time to start sending some holiday cards to him (address is to the right on this page).  He doesn't have a lot of storage so don't get too crazy on buying stuff, but cards are good.  In lieu of presents (or in addition to!) I might suggest making a donation towards Ryan's needs.  Please email me at jim@pnola.org if you are interested in doing so.

A Great Visit with Ryan

This is a guest post from a good friend of Ryan's, Brett:

 "Frita was there when I got there, apparently she has been visiting him quite often as she lives in close proximity to Trinity. When I arrived, Ryan was sitting up somewhat in the bed, and immediately perked up when I walked in. I said, 'what's up' and extended my hand, and he said 'hi' and extended his in my general direction! He without a doubt knew who I was. I gave him a picture of us from our first Halloween in NOLA, he studied it, and (mostly) the girls we were with in the picture posing with us dressed as the Fembots on Bourbon Street (it was 2001, very topical ;). I asked him if he remembered the girls in the picture, whom we knew from school, and he said that he did. We talked about how he was feeling better, and he conveyed to me that his leg, which was previously having bothersome spasms was now seemingly much better than it was during my last visit. His leg was almost fully extended, and was noticeably improved, even to the untrained eye. He did not scream at all during my visit, probably because he was not experiencing any spasms. He sat there and named off the names of all of the people that had recently visited him, both friends and family from here and out of town. You could see the happiness in his face. All of these things are vast improvements from the last time that I had seen him. Trinity is no longer performing the rigorous physical therapy with him during the day, now they are doing some sort of 'hyper-baric treatment' so he was not as tired as he usually is in the evening, AND I think that Ryan is now on the same regiment as TO (he is focusing on his 'acting' career too ;). I'm sure that there are still good days and bad days however, it was good to see him attentive, responsive, and in good spirits."

 Sounds like one of the better visits in recent history! Thanks for the update Brett! Now that Ryan is coming along even better, I'd like to encourage everyone to go see him. I will be going there on Saturday so if anyone wants to carpool just email me: jim@pnola.org.

Ryan's Dad, Frank, had some other great pieces of news to add as well:

"Ryan’s whole family should be with him for a week at Christmas, as his sister Regan, her husband Dave and their baby Wesley, and his brother Erik and his fiancée Katy are planning to come down for a week.

Ryan seems to like receiving phone calls. Carol says that on the days she is at Trinity or on the weekends when we both are there she would be happy to have any of Ryan’s friends and acquaintances call Ryan by calling Carol’s cell phone, 504-317-0585, and she will put Ryan on. She is generally there three days a week, from 11am to 5:30pm central time and on weekends we are often there in the evenings.

Ryan is now independent enough to be taken to the dining room to eat his breakfast and lunch there with the other patients. "

That, along with Brett's visit, are incredibly encouraging to us all I'm sure!

Also, I am donating to Ryan for the Saints vs. Lions ticket, so there are only two more home games up for grabs. The Falcons on 12/26 has already been called dibs on, so really if you want to make a contribution towards Ryan's recovery and see the Saints road to the Superbowl while doing it then your last chance is the Panthers game, the last game of the season, on New Years Day!

Sunday Visit

About ten days ago, Ryan had a pump implanted into his abdomen that releases medication to help with the leg spasms he's been experiencing. Over the past few weeks, the spasms made it difficult for him to participate in rehabilitation activities. He was previously taking pain meds to deal with the spasms, which made him too tired to do rehab as well. We're hoping that this new pump will control the spasms without the sedative effects of his old pain medications.

Ryan looked good this morning. We hung out and talked for a little bit, then went to go watch the Saint's kickoff. As Jim mentioned earlier, Ryan is rocking a nice goatee. He got a good laugh when I called him James Hetfield, so it's good to know that his knowledge of 80s-90s metal still exists. The great news about this visit is that Ryan was mostly awake and not experiencing leg spasms for the duration of the visit. Hopefully, this means he can get back to the therapy routine and start progressing again. Ryan looked the best I've seen him in weeks.

Keep visiting when you can. He thanked us for coming, so you know he appreciates it.

Ryan > Patriots

As Ryan gets better, his New England sports teams seem to get worse, as if he is
stealing all of their Mid 2000's magic. I for one say its a great trade-off, even better than Tom Brady replacing Drew Bledsoe.

Sorry for all the sports analogies...I'm a dude, it's what we do.

In any case, Ryan has gained back some of his weight and looks healthier than when I saw him last. Per usual, the afternoon visits often are when Ryan is tired from a long day of therapy and this evening was no exception. Brett and I joined Ryan for dinner and watched the New Orleans news (in Slidell, there is no news, just waffle houses). The leg spasms were clearly bothering Ryan throughout our visit and we did not get very much clear communication from him. But, we are pretty sure he likes fruit punch, a lot! Next time anyone goes up there, think about bringing him some red drank.

Ryan was sporting a goatee and finally a full head of hair. You can still see his scars from his cranioplasty and always will be able to, but it all filled in around it better than I had expected. I accidentally got some flavored peach(maybe?) type substance on his Tulane Alum shirt...but he didn't seem to mind.

Ryan didn't catch any football this weekend. If you haven't visited in awhile, perhaps during the Saints or Patriots game would be a good opportunity so you can help him make sure the right channel is on! Ryan is greater than the Patriots!

Another Saints Game! And Visit Ryan

Hey All,

The Saints are playing against Tampa Bay this Sunday. Let's get revenge Superdome Style! I have two tix available, all proceeds benefit Ryan's recovery. Please email me at jim@pnola.org if you're interested.

Thanks!

Also, I'll be going up there to visit Ryan on Tuesday if anyone is interested please let me know and we can car pool.

Saints Game for Ryan!

Ryan's ticket to the Superbowl grudge match between the Saints and the Colts THIS SUNDAY 10/23 is still available. Please remember that all proceeds go towards Ryan's recovery, plus you'll get to enjoy a great game at the Deauxme.

Please email me at jim@pnola.org if you want to make a contribution and attend the game.

Ryan > Red Sox

Ryan has settled back into his same room at the rehab facility (Trinity) after his successful reverse "t-top" as his doctors way back when at University Hospital called the original procedure. Still a very visible scar from his two surgeries, but his hair filled back in and he is sporting a Goatee now (I think a full beard looks better, but I may be biased).

Ryan was tired this afternoon when we got there (another Reuben from Parkway in tow), but we chatted a bit. He didn't seem to be terribly aware the Red Sox had...well, you know, so I let my uncontrollable temptation to razz him about it go. We looked at some fun pics on my phone, left crank calls on his own voicemail, and then it was dinner time so we split.

The nurse we spoke to indicated that he was making steady progress and that they were all rooting for him. He did experience his regular leg spasms while we were there, which was tough to watch because there is nothing you can do until the meds kick in, but, in the spirit of the title of this post, he powered through rather than withered away like SOME people we know. I look forward to the day that Ryan can go back and read this post and yell at me for talking bad on the Red Sox behind his back.

Ryan is better than the Red Sox.

Thanks to Myranda for joining me for the Saint's victory against the Texans a few weeks ago and for making a contribution toward Ryan's Superdome! The next home game is a Superbowl grudge match against the Colts, minus a certain Manning. Should still be a great game and great time to relive some awesome Superbowl memories. I expect each of you to clamor for Ryan's ticket so you can be there when we Two Dat them. You'll be making a great contribution towards Ryan's recovery as well. Email me at jim@pnola.org. Do it!

Back at Trinity

Ryan is recovering well from his surgery. He still has a good bit of swelling in his head, but it's gradually going down. He was moved back to Trinity to resume rehabilitation yesterday. The visiting hours at Trinity are any time except when he's in rehab from 9-3 Monday through Friday.

As Jim mentioned, the cranioplasty serves as a huge milestone for Ryan. We're hopeful that it will help improve his recovery process and will surely help him feel better once the swelling has completely subsided.

We're planning to go watch a few Saints games with him over the next several weeks. Please let us know if you're interested in joining and would like to carpool to Slidell!

Ryan's Superdome Roof Repair

Ryan has been recovering from his surgery for the past couple of days and, while he is somewhat swollen, his doctors were happy with how little swelling there was. The pieces of skull that were taken out months ago went back in nicely and his 'roof repair' is a very positive step towards recovery. He will continue his recovery at University Hospital here in New Orleans for a couple more days and then will make his way back to rehab in Slidell. One thing to take note of is that his doctors felt he has made enough progress so that this surgery was possible to do safely, so not only is the procedure itself a good step, but a sign that things are going well in general. Ryan was definitely experiencing pain and discomfort related to his surgery but after that subsides he should continue to make progress. For the time being, he will be medicated often for the next two days so while you should definitely go visit, it is possible he may be asleep when you do.

On a side note...please someone contact me if you want to go to the Saints game on Sunday in exchange for donating to Ryan's recovery. Have received no interest...and I know that between y'alls love for Ryan and the Saints I just dont see how that is possible. Jim@pnola.org if you want to go! We are raising money for Ryan's house. Ryan just has his roof repaired and we want you to help do the same to his house!.

Cranioplasty Scheduled

We received an update from Ryan's parents today that his cranioplasty (replacement of the removed portions of his skull) is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 21st at 5:30am. His surgery will take place at LSU University Interim Hospital - 2021 Perdido Street - where he started out in the ICU in April. The surgery will be followed by a few days stay at the hospital, either in the ICU or on an upper floor. If it is in the ICU, the visiting hours are limited to 4 thirty minute sessions at 10am, 1pm, 5pm and 8pm. If all goes well, he will return to Trinity after he recovers.

We will update you after his surgery on Wednesday. When we have a better idea of how long he's expected to stay at LSU University, we'll update as well.

Visit last Sunday

Here is a picture of Ryan from our visit on Sunday. He was in good spirits and was looking forward to football that afternoon. We stayed outside for most of the visit to enjoy the unusually cool weather that Louisiana is experiencing now. The sombreros were mostly to keep the sun out of our eyes since Ryan’s Boston ball-caps didn’t make the trip to Slidell.

We shared many good laughs during the visit. Besides the rehab, I think the daily interaction he has with other patients is helping him to communicate better. As we roam the halls with Ryan, he says hey to friends that we pass. He also talks more clearly with us during visits. It is still difficult for him to string together full thoughts, but he has made noticeable improvements in communicating since leaving Touro.

If you have time to visit him at the new facility, definitely make the trip. We’re planning a trip up to watch a Saints game soon, so let me know if you’re interested in joining.

Settling in, in Slidell

A handful of friends visited Ryan today at his new place in Slidell to drop off some parkway and watch the Simpsons. Ryan was happy to see some new faces (friends of his who were just back in town visiting) and, even though he had just eaten dinner, was obviously excited about his Reuben(favorite sandwich at parkway) and the prospect of eating it later. After a long day of rehab and visitors, Ryan was also very tired so we cut our visit short to let him sleep.

The nursing staff at the new location are working hard to help Ryan along and, apart from the occasional hay-maker he throws their way, are very happy he is there and they are able to work with him to help him get better.

All of his stuff that he has collected made it safely from his old room at Touro and it looks great. Keep sending more cards and other signs of encouragement!

Ryan is excited to watch the Saints shred some cheese tomorrow night!

Go to a Saints Game and Help Ryan....Duh!

Hey All,

Please email me if you're interested in going to a Saints home game this year. In exchange for a donation to Ryan's recovery, you will receive a ticket for a date of your choice. The donation will be made through PNOLA so you will be eligible for a tax deduction and, more importantly, your generosity will help cover some of Ryan's bills that are accumulating. Plus, you get to sit next to me Joel and Outlaw...totally worth it!

jim@pnola.org if you're interested. 1 ticket available for each home game.

Trinity Update

As we mentioned in our previous post, Ryan has been moved to Trinity Neurologic Rehabilitation Center in Slidell, LA. He is undergoing the same treatment as he was receiving at Touro, including three different types of therapy - physical, occupational and speech. He is in therapy 5 days a week from 9am to 2 or 3pm. The visiting hours are pretty much any time that he's not in therapy. He usually eats dinner around 5:15 and goes to bed around 9pm. His address and driving directions from New Orleans are listed at the bottom of this post.

While Trinity is about 30 - 45 minutes outside of New Orleans, it's still really important that we continue to visit Ryan every opportunity we have. Interacting with his friends is a very essential kind of therapy for him. Frank and Carol have expressed to us how much they appreciate every visit that his friends make, and they can really tell that it's making a big difference in Ryan's recovery. The cards and pictures are also very helpful if you'd like to keep sending them to Trinity!

Jenny and Jessica went to see him recently and had a great visit. He now has an unrestricted diet and can eat anything. Whenever we ask him what he'd like to eat, he usually says Po'boys or pizza. So Jenny and Jessica brought him a roast beef Po'boy and sweet potato fries from Parkway. He LOVED it and asked for two Po'boys next time! If you are planning to visit him, try to think of one of his favorite meals and take it with you. While I don't think he can eat a full meal in one sitting, the nurses will package it up and keep any leftovers in the frig for him.

Even though Ryan has come a very long way, he still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and we'll continue to post stories of our visits.

New address:

Trinity Neurologic Rehabilitation Center

Attn: Ryan Porcelli, Room 131B

1400 Lindberg Drive

Slidell, LA 70458

Tel: (985) 641-4985

Driving directions from New Orleans (provided by Ryan's Dad):

Take Interstate 10 East from NOLA, go about 29 miles, including over the lake, and get off at Exit 266 (sign says Slidell-Gause Boulevard). As exit, stay left and make a left turn at the first light onto Gause Boulevard. Proceed under the overpass (Interstate 10), and go through 2 or 3 lights until you get to Kensington Boulevard. Make a left (there is a Radio Shack and a gas station at this intersection), and drive about a ½ mile. You will see Trinity in front of you as the road bends to the left. Enter the parking lot. You will need to sign in at the reception desk, which fronts the parking lot.

Carey's Update

Re-purposed from Carey's email:

"Frank emailed Whit this morning that Ryan is being transferred at 11am this morning to Trinity Neurological Rehabilitation Center in Slidell. He's been admitted to a 6 month program there. We'll let you know when we have more details.

He's been doing really well the past few days. Jenny and I spent some time with him on Tuesday and he was fully engaged in our conversation... listening to everything, laughing and responding correctly to a lot of our questions. His leg spasms also seemed to be getting better. Good news all around!"

So if you plan to send cards, hold off a bit til we update the new mailing address. I'll work on getting that.