Ryan Pg. 5
January 19, 2004 Ryan, Betty, and I flew to the Mayo Clinic.
Ryan was blind by this time and I was helping him learn to walk up and down
stairs. He was amazing to watch! He never ever complained!
I have beautiful memories of him leaning close to me, kissing my shoulder, and
saying, "I love you Mom."
We traveled in the “subway” that connected the Mayo Clinic to hotels, shops, & clinics. I began to feel like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! The horrid weather made it nice to be able to stay indoors.
One or 2 days prior to Ryan becoming sick in MN he told me he how homesick he was to go home & be with everyone. He wanted things to return to normal. Ryan had asked me several times if he had any money at home. I explained that he had some. He asked, “How much money do I have? Do I have enough to buy Brandon& Laura something?” I told him approximately how much money he had. We decided to go to Walmart that evening so that he could purchase gifts for Laura and Brandon. We discussed what he wanted to get Laura first. He asked me for suggestions. We finally decided jewelry would be a safe purchase. We stood in the jewelry department as I described different earrings that I thought Laura might like. He explained,“I don’t want to get her something really cheap.” I finally picked out a pair of golden hearts with a tiny pearl in them.
Next, we went to the model car section. Ryan said, “I want to get my wonderful brother something. He got me model cars for Christmas (Corvette) I want to het him a model car too.” Try to describe model cars to someone else! It’s really difficult! He finally told me the one to purchase. He kept asking, “Is it a cool looking car? How much is it? I don’t want to get him something too cheap.” He was soexcited to bring home present for his brother & sister! How comforting it was for them to know that Ryan thought of them & purchased them gifts…just before he became so sick!
Ryan became terribly ill while we were at the Mayo Clinic. He was even more severely affected than before. Ryan became so agitated that he couldn't stand for me to touch him. Mike flew in to be with us during this time.
One morning after eating breakfast and being bathed, Ryan was sitting in a chair. I can still picture him curled up in that big chair beside the window, with Mike at his side. (I was standing across the bed from him and a nurse stood at the foot of the bed.) Ryan began to pray, "Jesus. Jesus? I don't understand what's going on. Please help me. I'm scared. I love you, Jesus. I love you so much. Amen." After we helped Ryan back to bed, he began to pray again. This time he prayed, "Jesus please give me back my sight so that I can tell all my friends what you've done for me...that you gave me back my sight..." Again, even though his mind had been so horribly effected, Ryan knew who God was!
Ryan wasn't able to know that only months later someone would stand and tell a gymnasium full of people that he wanted to "tell all of his friends what Jesus had done for him." He got his wish!
During his last hospitalization at OSU Ryan had a port placed before we came home. After the port placement Ryan was taken to MRI for an MRI of his brain while he was sedated. As Mike & I waited in a small waiting area a lady came in & sat down with us. She had on scrubs & I thought she was a nurse anesthetist. She told us about her brother dying the previous year and made a statement I’ve never forgotten. She repeated something a person at her church had told her. She said, “If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.” Later, when we saw the team who had brought Ryan over to MRI, I didn’t recognize her as the nurse anesthetist. I have no doubt that she was sent of God…whoever she was!
The time that Ryan lingered before he died made his death easier for us. Ryan was home with us, but not able to participate in the family. It was as if he gradually left us. Easy? Not hardly! Yet we had time to sit with him, talk to him, rub his back, embrace him, and tell him we loved him. We had time to tell him goodbye. Shortly after Ryan's death I found this card in his Bible. It was dated 10/19/03, just after he had become sick. God is so good! He knew that a grieving mother would be thinking of her boy...it was an amazing thing to find.
We traveled in the “subway” that connected the Mayo Clinic to hotels, shops, & clinics. I began to feel like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! The horrid weather made it nice to be able to stay indoors.
One or 2 days prior to Ryan becoming sick in MN he told me he how homesick he was to go home & be with everyone. He wanted things to return to normal. Ryan had asked me several times if he had any money at home. I explained that he had some. He asked, “How much money do I have? Do I have enough to buy Brandon& Laura something?” I told him approximately how much money he had. We decided to go to Walmart that evening so that he could purchase gifts for Laura and Brandon. We discussed what he wanted to get Laura first. He asked me for suggestions. We finally decided jewelry would be a safe purchase. We stood in the jewelry department as I described different earrings that I thought Laura might like. He explained,“I don’t want to get her something really cheap.” I finally picked out a pair of golden hearts with a tiny pearl in them.
Next, we went to the model car section. Ryan said, “I want to get my wonderful brother something. He got me model cars for Christmas (Corvette) I want to het him a model car too.” Try to describe model cars to someone else! It’s really difficult! He finally told me the one to purchase. He kept asking, “Is it a cool looking car? How much is it? I don’t want to get him something too cheap.” He was soexcited to bring home present for his brother & sister! How comforting it was for them to know that Ryan thought of them & purchased them gifts…just before he became so sick!
Ryan became terribly ill while we were at the Mayo Clinic. He was even more severely affected than before. Ryan became so agitated that he couldn't stand for me to touch him. Mike flew in to be with us during this time.
One morning after eating breakfast and being bathed, Ryan was sitting in a chair. I can still picture him curled up in that big chair beside the window, with Mike at his side. (I was standing across the bed from him and a nurse stood at the foot of the bed.) Ryan began to pray, "Jesus. Jesus? I don't understand what's going on. Please help me. I'm scared. I love you, Jesus. I love you so much. Amen." After we helped Ryan back to bed, he began to pray again. This time he prayed, "Jesus please give me back my sight so that I can tell all my friends what you've done for me...that you gave me back my sight..." Again, even though his mind had been so horribly effected, Ryan knew who God was!
Ryan wasn't able to know that only months later someone would stand and tell a gymnasium full of people that he wanted to "tell all of his friends what Jesus had done for him." He got his wish!
During his last hospitalization at OSU Ryan had a port placed before we came home. After the port placement Ryan was taken to MRI for an MRI of his brain while he was sedated. As Mike & I waited in a small waiting area a lady came in & sat down with us. She had on scrubs & I thought she was a nurse anesthetist. She told us about her brother dying the previous year and made a statement I’ve never forgotten. She repeated something a person at her church had told her. She said, “If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.” Later, when we saw the team who had brought Ryan over to MRI, I didn’t recognize her as the nurse anesthetist. I have no doubt that she was sent of God…whoever she was!
The time that Ryan lingered before he died made his death easier for us. Ryan was home with us, but not able to participate in the family. It was as if he gradually left us. Easy? Not hardly! Yet we had time to sit with him, talk to him, rub his back, embrace him, and tell him we loved him. We had time to tell him goodbye. Shortly after Ryan's death I found this card in his Bible. It was dated 10/19/03, just after he had become sick. God is so good! He knew that a grieving mother would be thinking of her boy...it was an amazing thing to find.