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.

A Few Good Men

A friend and I spent a while tonight watching 'A Few Good Men' with Ryan while he ate dinner with his mom. Personally, this was the most good humored I had seen Ryan and the first indication that he knew who I was for sure, which I think certainly reflects the up-tick in recognition that others have witnessed. While Ryan still suffers from leg spasms that cause him great pain, his cognitive functions seem to be readily available to interact with any stimulus that presents itself, so I fully recommend that you provide him with your presence so that he can have the opportunity to react to you. This is very important to his recovery and him knowing how much you love him and are pulling for him.

I personally want to express that while this has been a struggle for me, it pales in comparison to what Ryan and his parents are dealing with so I know that however encouraged I have felt by y'alls constant visits and level of interest, I know they have felt the same. We all know that Ryan is not a sob story, but one of amazing determination and strength and I for one am thankful that I have had the opportunity to witness his recovery and sincerely hope that I can be there to greet him when he fully over comes the challenges he has faced since his accident.

Tomorrow is the first Saint's Pre-season game! As I can only imagine you already know, Ryan and I have been sharing his set of season tickets the past two years and in the event that Ryan is not yet well enough to use his ticket, I will be offering his seat up for a request of a generous donation towards his medical bills. You each have the opportunity to help Ryan's financial situation while getting to go to a Saints game and be graced with my presence for 4 hours...so I suggest you email me at jim@pnola.org if you are interested in any game this season. For any Saints/Ryan fan, this is a can't miss opportunity that will directly impact his recovery and well-being. I am looking for a few good men/women to step up and make a contribution.

You'd be crazier than Tom Cruise to not help out!

Friday Update

We had a good visit with Ryan last night. He was calm and smiled/laughed a lot. When Whit and I came in, the nurse asked Ryan who we were and he was sounding out our names. This is the first time he’s done that. While he still can’t say more than a few words, you can tell that his speech is improving.

Thanks so much to everyone who has sent him cards and pictures. He loves to look at them and the nurses really enjoy reading them to him. Keep them coming! Below are a few pictures of the bulletin boards in his room – he has the most decorated room on the hall.

Tonight's Visit

Ryan looked great tonight. He was relaxed and getting ready to hit the sack, but he stayed up to visit with us for a little bit. He responded appropriately to everything we asked, and he cracked smiles frequently when we tested his memory with questions that were a little too easy. Definitely good to see him progressing again.

There were a few new get-well cards in his room, so thanks to everyone who is writing. He enjoys receiving the well-wishes, and he recognizes people's names on the cards. Send him a note if you get the urge. The hospital's address is below in Carey's post.

We talked to his nurses before we left, and it sounds like he's doing much better in therapy. He's able to feed himself with little assistance, which is good because he's back to eating like a horse. According to the nurses, Ryan is sleeping better too, which is great. There was a time that he had difficulty sleeping throughout the night, so it's good that his schedule is getting back to normal.

Going to see him early afternoon tomorrow, so I'll post again when I see him then. Goodnight and take care.

Some More Progress at Ryan's House

The electricity and water have been on at Ryan's house (the rental side) for a couple weeks now and with some final painting of the interior and exterior it is almost done. All of the trim and walls are getting a coat of paint and after a good thorough cleaning it will be ready to move in (Air Conditioning is getting juiced up and turned on tomorrow!)

No volunteers necessary this weekend, but there will be an opportunity coming up soon. On that note, if you're out of town but want to help, please stay tuned to the blog over the next few days.