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.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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. "
"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!
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, November 13, 2011
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.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, November 4, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, October 21, 2011
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.
Please email me at jim@pnola.org if you want to make a contribution and attend the game.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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!
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!
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