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 6th 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.