please help ryan...

We met Ryan and his family back at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a few months after our accident. Ben's room was a few doors down from Ryan's. We were not able to get to know Ryan and his family that much because we would soon be leaving. All I knew is that Ryan was injured with a severe TBI and it was bad.

Along the way I came to know Ryan's story a little but more. A small snippet from the Washington Post...

 

"As the argument became more heated and the two groups passed each other, Ryan turned back and approached the other group to say something, only to step back after someone shoved him. Someone punched McLhinney, knocking him unconscious. Someone hit Ryan's other friend.

After Ryan backed away, Jonathon May, a WVU student, sneaked up and punched him in the face. Ryan never struck anyone. After Ryan fell, Austin Vantrease, 19, kicked him in the head with a motion that a witness compared to "punting" a football, the detective said. May was later convicted of misdemeanor battery and sentenced to a year in prison; Vantrease was charged with malicious assault, a felony. Everyone ran, according to court testimony. Ryan lay on the ground, bleeding from his left ear and suffering seizures. When Ryan's parents reached the hospital a few hours later, the doctor told them their son's jaw was broken and his skull was fractured in two places. He was bleeding from his brain.

The Divineys faced a choice: Doctors could leave their son as he was, and he would most likely die, or they could remove part of his skull, which would let his brain swell. Either way, Ryan might not live more than a day or two. Ken and Sue told the doctor to remove the skull plate and summoned a priest to administer last rites."

 

So for the past few years Ryan's parents have been super diligent in caring for him. They amaze me with their commitment to their son and how they fight for him every single day! His recovery has been quite different then Ben's and that breaks my heart. I hate that we are in the same situation with knowing them in the TBI world but glad that we can help each other out!!

 

Here is where I would ask you to help. One of Ryan's brutal attackers is up for parole soon and has not even served close to what he should and doesn't have a remorseful bone in his body! According to his family the attacker Vantrease was in the wrong place at the wrong time...yet he chose his wrongful actions! I will not go into detail on how Ryan's family has had to fight this and put up with people who beat their son and won't do anything about it! We need your help in signing a petition to stop this parole!

 

Please go to:

http://www.change.org/petitions/deny-parole-to-austin-vantrease

to sign the petition for Ryan and his family!

 

You can also visit and follow Ryan's journey at http://ryansrally.org/

 

Thank you in advance for doing this! It would mean a lot to Ryan and his family and to Ben and I!