We have a quick note about Kevin’s surgery, which went really well. The goal of the surgery was to set Kevin up for a device that can stimulate his diaphragm so he can breathe without the assistance of a ventilator, at least for some portion of the day. Kevin was in and out more quickly than anticipated – which was for a good reason.  Initially, the surgeons believed that they would need to graft nerves from Kevin’s shoulder or leg for the device to work. During the surgery, however, they found some scarring that had been inhibiting the responsiveness of the nerve that controls the diaphragm. The doctors discovered that the nerve was more responsive than previously thought, which meant that they did not need to graft any additional nerves.

This is good news because it increases the chances that this device will work for Kevin. We still do not know yet whether it will work or how much it will reduce his dependence on the ventilator, but today’s surgery was very encouraging and an important first step.

Kevin was really happy to hear the news and he was, of course, tremendously grateful to the staff at Jersey Shore Medical Center for taking good care of him.

In a few weeks, he will start working with the device to see if it will work. We are optimistic, as always. We will keep you posted on his progress!

The plan is for Kevin to be home from the hospital on Thursday, but we are still not sure when he will be ready for visitors.  We will try to keep everyone posted. In the meantime, please call ahead if you’re planning to visit.

Thanks again for everyone’s prayers and support!

It’s been a long time since we’ve updated. Our family has been busy with the transition home. We will do our best to provide updates more frequently! We have a fair amount of updates on Kevin, his condition, what we’ve been up to, and some announcements about upcoming events.

How’s Kevin doing?

Kevin is doing pretty well. While we have encountered some challenges with his transition home, Kevin is healthy, stays busy, and continues to have a positive attitude. Most of all, Kevin is also grateful for all of the support that everyone has shown him and appreciates having people come hang out and talk for a bit. While Kev misses all of his people at Magee and the many Philadelphia visitors (he was quite popular there!), he has had a steady stream of visitors at home. If you ever feel the urge to stop by, feel free to come. He is generally ready for visitors from the early afternoon on.

Possible Surgery

The most important update on Kevin’s condition is that he is currently scheduled to have surgery to try to restore functionality to his phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm. Because Kevin has limited diaphragm function, he currently needs the ventilator to do the breathing for him. The problem with the ventilator is that it’s a big impediment to getting around and can lead to health complications. That’s why the phrenic nerve surgery is our focus right now — if successful, it would enable Kevin to breathe without the ventilator for some portion of the day.

Right now, we don’t know whether the surgery will be covered by insurance and we do not know exactly what the cost will be. We are hopeful that the surgery will be covered; over the long term, this surgery has the potential to add years to Kevin’s lifespan and give him a significantly better quality of life.

The surgery is currently scheduled for March 30^th, but that may change. We will update the website with any pertinent updates.

What else have we been up to?

Friends and family have been busy getting a few items that Kevin will need going forward. In large part, these are not expenses that are covered by insurance, so this is where the tremendous fundraising efforts have had a big impact.

First, we are on the verge of purchasing a van that will enable Kevin to get out and about. He has been at home since he left Magee; once we have a van, he will be able to be the man about town he has always been. We’re hoping we’ll be able to make it to the Phillies’ Opening Day as a family – for the Nearys, this is akin to a federal holiday.

Next, we are working with an architect on potential designs for the addition to the house that will provide Kevin with his own bedroom and, at his request, an office so that he can get back to work. The addition will be custom tailored to Kevin’s needs, so it will significantly improve his independence and quality of life. We’re also hoping to make it more visitor-friendly. (Side note: We appreciate everyone bearing with us as we get used to having more visitors.)

We’ve also made several changes to the house and purchased a number of items that are essential for Kevin’s care and are helping him get back into the same routine he had at Magee.

We are tremendously grateful for everyone’s help, whether financial, logistical, or otherwise. They have made the transition so much easier for Kevin, and we don’t know what we’d do without it.

Events!

Many of you have asked for event updates, including how to purchase tickets for the Union Trust event. We have some updates below and on the events tab. If you have event ideas or would like to help, please contact JP. We will get details up on the Events tab for other events as they come together — thanks for your patience!

March 9^th –  Derwood, MD Knights of Columbus event

Kevin’s Uncle Chris Kelly and Aunt Denise Neary have put together a Family Night with Knights of Columbus Council #2323. The event will take place in Derwood, MD from 6:30 – 10 p.m. Please see the events tab above for details on the event and how to RSVP if you live in the area.

March 16^th – Night for Neary

We’re all set for next Friday night’s event! Unfortunately, ticket sales are not available online, so please contact Sean Swayngim if you would like to buy tickets in advance – 610-864-3497 or email: Swayngim147@msn.com

May 6^th – Union Trust Benefit

Big news – tickets are now on sale for the Union Trust brunch event! The fine people at Union Trust, where Kevin had been working recently, have teamed together with some of Kevin’s dear friends to host and organize this fundraiser.  It should be a really fun event with a hearty brunch and exciting auction items, so get the tickets while you can! Tickets are $125 (including tax and gratuity) and the proceeds from the event will go to Kevin.

To buy tickets, please contact Sarah at Union Trust (sarah@uniontruststeakhouse.com or 215-325-6000) or Melissa Magness (melissamagness@gmail.com).

The brunch will be a buffet style and, most importantly, delicious (Kevin wouldn’t have it any other way.)  If anyone plans to do the Broad Street Run that morning, we’ll be able to accommodate a slightly later meal since it will be a buffet.

For more information, check out the events tab and the flyer on the FOKN facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=929077958495&set=o.363971043613402&type=1&theater

Visiting Kevin at home this weekend

Thanks to everyone who helped welcome Kevin home and helped get the house ready! Kevin’s glad to be here and is already hard at work getting acclimated. We’ll have photos of the homecoming soon.

We are expecting a lot of visitors this weekend. Our doors are wide open, but just wanted to let everyone know that it may be tight depending on the time you get here. Any time after noon should be clear sailing. Kevin appreciates all the visitors and loves seeing everyone, so feel free to come by!

Just a quick update today. We’ll have more soon!

Home tomorrow!

The day is almost here – Kevin will finally be coming home tomorrow afternoon! As much as he loves Magee, Kevin is excited to get settled at home and start making the most of his situation.

Thanks to everyone who helped get our house ready for Kevin to come home.  A few folks have expressed interest in welcoming Kevin home tomorrow afternoon. We certainly welcome anyone who is interested in attending to be there.  Please note that we live on a small street and parking might be tight.  Getting Kevin settled will be the first priority so we may have to keep visits brief.

You will be able to visit Kevin in the coming days and weeks, but we ask for your patience as we figure out his routine and the best times for visitors. Over the first few days, we ask that folks just check in with Joe Neary, JP, or Chris to let us know you’re visiting. In general, it is best to wait until at least 11 a.m. to visit. Once we have a routine down, we’ll have a better sense what hours make sense for Kevin to have visitors.

Special thank you to Magee

As Kevin’s time at Magee comes to a close, we wanted to especially thank everyone at Magee for their hard work to get Kevin ready to make this important transition.

Just yesterday, Kevin got out and about in Philadelphia for the first time since his injury with some of the team he has been working with, including Dave (respiratory therapist) and Amanda (occupational therapist). You can see Kevin having a good time in the city he loves in the picture below. Not pictured here is Alli (physical therapist) and the many nurses, therapists, attendants, and doctors at Magee who helped Kevin along over the past few months. We greatly appreciate everything that they’ve done for him. The experience there will be invaluable.

We’ll have more updates in the coming days as Kevin gets settled. Thanks again for everyone’s love and support!

Thanks for everyone’s patience recently in terms of updates for the website. We have been focused on fundraising and, most recently, getting everything ready for Kevin’s transition to our dad’s house. It’s hard to believe that will be happening in less than a week!

We want to reiterate how deeply thankful we are for everyone’s support. It has been an incredible few months and it’s pretty clear how much love people have for Kevin. With the support of our communities, businesses, family, and dear friends, we have been able to raise over $80,000 so far for the Kevin Neary Trust. We are overwhelmed by the support. That funding is going to go a long way to help Kevin in both the near and long term. We can’t thank you enough.

We are also very appreciative of the local news media coverage of Kevin’s story and the continued support of the community for Kevin. We posted the links over at the Friend of Kevin Neary facebook page – check them out!

Transition home

Kevin can’t wait to go home, and we can’t wait to get him there. There has been a lot of preparation going on, both at home and at Magee, for that to happen. We’ve been learning what we need to do to be prepared for Kevin’s transition. Kevin is slated to come home next Thursday, barring any unforeseen changes.

For the time being, we’ve set up a temporary space for Kevin, but we are getting the plans ready to put on the addition that will be Kevin’s space over the long term. We’ll be update you as that gets underway.

We will have more information on visiting Kevin at home once we get closer to the date and get him accommodated with his new space. And we know many of you will want to help, so we’re working on the best way to do that. Stay tuned.

More Events!

Although we have been focused on getting Kevin home, there have been a lot of requests from folks who want to host additional events to raise money for the Kevin Neary Trust, which we really appreciate. Right now, however, we can’t go ahead with every event considering how much is going on.

Details for the events that have already been scheduled are available under the Events tab at the top of the site. Check there for any updates. If there are any major updates, we will put up another post.

That’s about it for now. We hope to have more updates as we get closer to Kevin’s transition home!

Hello everyone!

We just have a brief update for today. 

First thank you to everyone who made last night’s event a huge success.  Thanks to your generosity we raised just over $21,000! 

A note on visiting Kevin today: Kevin had a difficult time sleeping last night and a pretty early morning.  He asked us to let everyone know that he will be going to bed early and wont be able to have visitors for the rest of the evening. 

More will come in the next few days. 

Thank you all so much!

JP

We’re very excited for tomorrow’s event at Boothwyn Fire Company! We have sold out and expect the venue to be at capacity. The event will run from 6-9 p.m., and we encourage everyone coming to think about carpooling as parking may be tight. The ticket price includes food and beverage.

We are in the process of getting raffle and auction items together. If you have a raffle item you’d like to donate but haven’t arranged a pick-up, please contact JP (nearyjp@gmail.com).

While we appreciate everyone’s desire to come out to support Kevin, we also don’t want to create a fire hazard (at the fire hall – we hear they’re sticklers about that sort of thing). If you were not able to get tickets, there will be an event on March 16^th at the Upper Chichester Recreation Center that we hope you will be able to come to. Please contact Joan Morrison (upperchirec@yahoo.com) for more information.

Online donations are ready!

Many of you have asked for a way to donate online. We know that this
is a quick and easy way to support Kevin, and we apologize for
the delay getting it up and running. We now have an online donation
system set up. Click here or on the Paypal link to the left if you would like
to donate electronically. We appreciate all of the support thus far.

Facebook page

We noticed that many people had pictures from the great North Bowl
event the other night. So we wanted to create a place where people can
share photos, stories, and other thoughts about or for Kevin. We
created a Facebook page that can serve as a sort of online community
for everyone to get updates about Kevin and share information about
events and other items.

Click the Friends of Kevin Neary like page to the left to sign up.

Special thank-you

We also wanted to send a special thank-you to Johnson Matthey and
their employees, who combined to donate approximately $19,000 toward
the Kevin Neary Trust. Joe Neary (Sr.) wants to thank the JM team for
being such a supportive and understanding group over the past few
months.

That’s all for now. Kevin’s continuing his rehab (in typical Kevin good humor) and we’re gearing up for the event this Saturday. We can’t wait to see folks on Saturday.

We’ll have more updates soon!

Kevin’s condition going forward

As you know, Kevin’s current prognosis is that he will require the assistance of a ventilator for the rest of his life. However, we are exploring all potential options to help him breathe on his own because that will be much more comfortable and reduce potential complications going forward.

Kevin is being considered for a surgery that could help him breathe on his own, if only part-time. The surgery’s goal would be to help restore the function of Kevin’s phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm. It’s important to note that we do not know whether Kevin will ultimately be eligible for the surgery or whether the surgery will have the desired effect. In the coming weeks we should have a better picture whether this is a possibility. But we’re hopeful this will help.

In other news, Kevin will be coming home in a few weeks, so we’re starting to get the house ready for his arrival. Which leads us to…

Equipment and other items

If you or anyone you know has medical equipment or other items that you think would help, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Marianne Kaplan at mariannekaplan@kaplancn.com

North Bowl – Huge Success

Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make the event at North Bowl such a great success! The best part was that Kevin was able to watch a livestream of the event, so he could see everyone bowling and the amazing community he has to support him.

We are so grateful for the amount of support shown at the event and for the amazing work of the organizers and hosts, especially the folks at North Bowl. All told, the event raised about $20,000 to help Kevin going forward.  We are completely overwhelmed by the amount of contributions everyone made to help Kevin. We have a lot of people to thank, so keep an eye out for a special thank you page coming soon.

We’re gearing up for the event next Saturday, which is sold out. T-shirts will be available at the event. See you soon!