You may of read the first article on 17 year old Ryan King, the gentle giant, whose journey has been nothing short of a miracle.
Ryan’s family woke up early in the morning last April, to banging on the walls, he was thrashing around and seizing, The week before Ryan was admitted to the hospital he had flu like symptoms, he had been to see the doctor and was sent home with a viral flu. By 6am the next morning, he was rushed to the hospital placed on life support and slipped into a coma for 5 weeks. Dr’s didn’t have much hope for Ryan to make it out of the coma, but his family never gave up hope, and Ryan pulled through. His journey has been inspiring and heartwarming.
To think of a 17 year old, who played football one day and the next time he woke up, he is blind, deaf and paraplegic brings tears to the eyes. Ryan’s midget football team uses him for inspiration, when the team is down cause their losing a game, all they have to do is think of Ryan, cheer for Ryan and then the game changes. You can see the impact his story has not only on his team, but on the entire world.
Ryan was able to be released from the Glenrose hospital on April 20th and is now at home in his new bungalow, which the landlord said could be renovated with all kinds of adjustments like widening doors and a ramp to accommodate Ryan’s wheelchair. Much of the work was donated or paid for by several local fundraisers.
You might wonder what held the family together through all this? The answer is Ryan. Every day he fought for breath he fought to live. His family kept strong surrounding him with the people that loved him. How could they give up when every day he brought his A game and every day he gave glimmers of hope. He defied what doctors told for every day he survived. He battled pneumonia, infections, fluctuating heart beats, brain and spinal cord swelling. The gentle giant as we had called him. Has now become our hero.
Ryan remains our hero he faces each day with enthusiasm and a smile on his face. Does he have down moments? Of course, how could you not? But they don’t last long . He remains thankful for his friends, his new hero/mentor Brian from the Canadian Paraplegic Association, and all of you. His new challenges include school, getting in shape. His goal at this time is to have some vision come back so he can try sledge hockey. He has started to write a book and it starts with Never say never, life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass it’s about learning to dance in the dark. So it begins this is my story….. He continues to worry about others more than himself. He continues to encourage and inspire all that meet him or hear about him to “keep the Faith”. He is the ribbon that keeps us attached the determination that keeps us hopeful. He is the miracle of what comes after the storm passes.
You all are the rainbows that help light our way and surround us in the beauty of colors everyone uniting to help. Its Ryan’s path and you all have become the stepping stones that help him and us move forward. Ryan’s Aunt Nanette writes “It has been the hardest longest year of our lives. Yet here we are feeling blessed, grateful and happy” And while his football jersey may now sit on a shelf, he plans to return to school part-time in the fall. Even though he’s missed a year, it looks like he’ll be able to graduate with his friends, and may even get credit for learning a second language: sign language.
The message he wants to get across to others? “Don’t give up. It may not seem like the best thing, the funnest thing, but…just don’t give up.” Ryan still needs support and love. Go to “Rainbows for Ryan on facebook to show your love, share photos, buy a bracelet leave him a little note. Everything you do for Ryan makes a world of difference, you can see the improvements he has made from over a year ago, he can see shadows, he is talking, and who can ever forget his amazing sense of humor.
If Ryan has taught me one thing, is to never take anything for granted, he inspires me and is just an amazing person, he is loved by everyone he meets. Please take a moment to recognize yourselves as part of a miracle, look in the mirror and see you surrounded in the beauty of being part of a rainbow.
After note.
Please visit the Rainbows for Ryan Facebook page for more information. Also note that the words used in this article came from Ryan and his Family.
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