Thanks for everyone’s patience over the last week or so. Kevin was in the hospital for a few days with an infection. He has received treatment and has been home for a few days. If you’d like to visit this weekend, we just ask that you call ahead beforehand to make sure it’s a good time.

The good news is that Kevin met with a pulmonologist and has cleared Kevin for resume pacing with the new device. Kevin is excited to begin working with that again to build his strength and work his way off the ventilator.

We will have a more detailed update soon, but we wanted to thank Salesianum and the students there for hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament last Saturday. It was heartwarming to see such great support from that community.

We are very much looking forward to the Union Trust event next Sunday. The planners have put together an amazing event. We’ll have more details soon, but if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, be sure to do so this week! Tickets are available here: ut4fokn.eventbrite.com/

Good morning everyone.  This is just a quick note to let everyone know Kevin won’t be able to have visitors for the next day or so. Last evening Kevin was not feeling well and had to go to the hospital. It looks like he has a small infection and they would like to keep him there for a day or two for observation.

Part of Kevin’s condition means being more susceptible to infection.  We are happy that he is getting the care that he needs and that he will be home soon.

We will keep you posted as things change and Kevin is ready to have visitors.

JP

Although word is spreading quickly, we wanted to make sure you saw the news that Kevin was able to breathe on his own for 15 minutes yesterday, which is a remarkable first step. You can read all about it in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. Click here to read the story. We are so grateful to Dr. Kaufman and his medical team, as well as to the Inquirer for continuing to call attention to Kevin’s story. 

Keep an eye out for more stories about Kevin’s amazing spirit and recovery!

If you’ve come here from the Inquirer story, check out the tabs above for more information about Kevin and how you can help.

We realize we haven’t updated the website in a few weeks. Fortunately, no news has been good news — Kevin recovered quickly from his surgery and is doing well.

Kevin is excited to begin working with the new device that should help him breathe on his own on Wednesday. (Kevin will be unavailable for visitors then.) He’ll have to start slow at first, but this is far ahead of schedule because the surgery went so well. We hope that he will eventually be able to use the new device to breathe without the assistance of a ventilator. Click here to find out more about the surgery. As you can see, the doctors who performed Kevin’s surgery are very optimistic. We’ll keep you posted in the coming weeks and continue to appreciate your prayers and support.

CALL TO HELP: Tuesday is election day, so Joe Neary (senior) will be at the polls for a good portion of the day. If you are available and would like to help at the house on Tuesday, please call Joe Neary at 610-485-7270.

We also wanted to call attention to some really exciting new details for events being put together by Kevin’s family and friends. To date, Kevin’s tremendous support community has raised over $150,000 in just five months, which is amazing. But we know it will be a long and expensive road ahead, so Kevin’s friends and family are keeping the ball rolling.  We encourage those considering participating in these events to act soon and, if you can’t attend, we encourage you to spread the word to make these events successful!

Union Trust – First Event Kevin Will Attend in Philly

First, we are pleased to announce some amazing features for the event on May 6^th at Union Trust. Most importantly, this will be the first event in the city that Kevin will be able to attend in the city he loves so dearly. He’s really looking forward to it. Kevin’s friends and the fine people at Union Trust are pleased to announce the details for the fantastic program of food, entertainment, and auction and raffle items. In addition to a casino after party, the event will feature:

• Remarks by Penn State Alum Adam Taliaferro
• Guest Casino dealers
• Tumbling dice, Black Jack tables, Roulette table
• DJ  John G and more
• The band Lima Bean Riot
• Auction items to include sports paraphernalia, Kremps Florist gift certificates, Philly “Night Out” hotel and restaurant packages.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of the businesses who have contributed raffle and auction items:

• Restaurants participating:  Del Friscos, R2L, Smith and Wollensky, Starr Restaurants, and Union Trust (and more!)
• Hotels participating:   Doubletree, Hilton Garden, Omni, and the Ritz Carlton

Tickets are available here: ut4fokn.eventbrite.com/

If you are interested, please place your ticket orders as soon as you can. It is a huge help to those planning the event.

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. And if you’ve run that far, you know you’ll deserve a great meal!

Salesianum Basketball Tournament

This coming weekend, Kevin’s high school is hosting a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to benefit the Kevin Neary Trust at Talley Day Park in Wilmington. Organized by the students, the April 22nd event will feature a 64 team tournament, food, entertainment and a mass to conclude the day.  We hope that you will be able to make it out for the festivities.

Details for the event are available here: http://www.salesianum.org/page.aspx?pid=664

Inquirer article

Finally, we wanted to make sure you all saw the article about Kevin in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Kevin was front page news, and his story generated a lot of attention to the positive attitude that Kevin has been displaying about his condition. In case you missed it, check it out here: http://articles.philly.com/2012-03-26/news/31240646_1_emergency-room-police-officer-brown-street

We’ll have more updates in the coming week or so. Thanks again for everyone’s support.

Kevin’s homecoming was delayed a bit; however, the plan is for him to come home tomorrow. He will likely need a few days to rest, but we will let you all know as soon as he is up for visitors. In the meantime, if you’d like to visit, please just call ahead.