Thanks for everyone’s patience these last few weeks. Until recently, it was very quiet – Kevin was getting a fair amount of rest and making really great progress getting off the ventilator. He is now able to breathe on his own for four hours a day (for two hours at a time). We are thrilled with his progress and hope he will continue increasing the amount of time he spends off the ventilator.

Part of Kevin’s condition, however, is that he will inevitably face challenges. On Sunday, after a great visit hosted by the Phillies, Kevin was admitted to Riddle Hospital as a precautionary measure. He is doing just fine, but the doctors want to keep an eye on him. We do not have details about his condition to release, but rest assured that Kevin is doing well and has great care. He will likely be released late today or Wednesday.

We also wanted to thank the Phillies organization for their hospitality on Sunday. We had big plans for Sunday – Kevin had hoped to enjoy the game and speak with the media, but he had to leave early due to his condition. The Phillies and the media were incredibly understanding about the situation, and we’re very grateful for their patience.

Before Kevin had to leave, he did get a chance to meet Phillies catcher Brian Schneider, who sent Kevin a get-well package when he was at Magee. Kevin was thrilled, and we are so thankful that he took out the time to see Kevin. It meant a lot to him. Kevin hopes to get back when he’s feeling better!

Fundraising update

We are please to announce that, thanks to everyone who put the event together and contributed, we were able to raise $15,000 at the Union Trust event! Kevin was so happy to get back to Philadelphia and see so many people he loves come out to support him. He had a great time.

We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge two amazing contributions from Kevin’s former coworkers at both Valcourt and Worldwide Express. With their contributions and the total from Union Trust, we have now raised at least $250,000 for Kevin’s care.  This is nothing short of amazing, and will continue to help us meet the costs associated with Kevin’s care.

We’d also like to thank the Dave Logar Memorial Fund again for supporting Kevin this year. While we could not attend the event, we hear it was a great success. Special thanks to those who ran in Kevin’s honor.

We know there are many of you who are interested in helping. Rest assured: there will be more events in the near future.  For now, however, we are focused on getting Kevin rested and healthy. We appreciate your understanding and all of your help!

On Sunday, Kevin returned to Philadelphia for a fundraiser hosted by his friends at Union Trust! The event was a huge success, and Kevin was really glad to get back to town for the first time since he left Magee and see so many people he loves! The organizers did an amazing job and raised a significant amount of funds for the Kevin Neary Trust. We will have a final tally to announce soon. We are incredibly grateful to Union Trust for opening up their amazing restaurant and hosting such a successful event!

It is hard to believe it has been nearly six months since Kevin’s injury. In that short time frame, Kevin has made remarkable progress and shown an unwavering spirit. His friends, family, and community have also shown an incredible resilience and support for Kevin. So far, with your help we have raised over $218,000 (not counting the significant total from the Union Trust event) to help meet Kevin’s needs.

That is a remarkable figure, and we wanted to take a few moments to thank everyone who has contributed their time, talent, and resources on Kevin’s behalf. Local businesses, neighbors, relatives, and new and old friends have been touched by Kevin’s story over this past half year. We cannot begin to list all of the acts of kindness, both large and small, that so many people have offered up on Kevin’s behalf. Please know that all of those acts of kindness are greatly appreciated by Kevin and our family.

We have also received donations of equipment, such as Kevin’s mattress and ramp that have helped us significantly. We want to again thank Neighbor Care in Upper Chichester for contributing the mattress, which alleviates some of the pressure points that can lead to severe skin complications that could seriously compromise Kevin’s condition. We also want to acknowledge the members of the local Masonic Temple who spent the better part of a day and a half putting together a ramp for the house.

We’re also grateful for the media’s continued coverage of Kevin’s amazing story of recovery. The van that we were able to acquire was the direct result of someone seeing the story on television and reaching out to us to offer the van to us at a bargain price. We know we’ll miss someone but we want to thank all of the local news stations, producers and reporters who have continued to follow Kevin’s story, especially Oren Liebermann, Doug Shimell, Anne Marie Johnson, Vernon Odom, Dan Cuellar, Elizabeth Hur, and many others.

We also owe a debt of gratitude to the print media who have helped generate interest in Kevin’s story. We’d like to thank Tim Logue and John Kopp at the Delaware County Daily Times for their continued coverage of the story. We would especially like to express our gratitude to Melissa Dribben who has written several articles that have captured Kevin’s spirit and humor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. These stories have touched so many people in the region and have generated broad support for Kevin while conveying both the struggle Kevin faces and the resiliency of spirit with which Kevin will face them. We are grateful that the articles have touched other lives as well — other families with loved ones with similar conditions or injuries have reached out to find out more about the surgery that is assisting Kevin to breathe without the ventilator.

All of this attention and support has been going to a very good place. To date, we have spent about $35,000 for the shower trolley, van, backup generator, and various miscellaneous expenses. We know that these expenses will continue and we will update the website with additional information about how the fundraising efforts have been helping Kevin in the future.

We have so many others to thank, but we’ll have to stop here for now. Please know that every bit of support means the world to us, and we are tremendously grateful.

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming days!

We’ve got a special announcement below, but first we wanted to briefly inform those attending Sunday’s benefit at Union Trust that any purchases at the event, including the casino after party, will have to be cash or check.  We’re looking forward to seeing everyone!

Dave Logar Memorial Fund

We are thrilled to report that the Dave Logar Memorial Fund will be supporting Kevin this year!  The Dave Logar Memorial 5K and 1 Mile Walk for Paralysis will take place on May 20^that Cooper River Park.  We are very grateful for the Fund’s support, and we wanted to share it with you in case anyone is interested in participating or supporting the organization.  Sign-ups for the race close May 13th at midnight, and any contributions would be welcome.

Check out the race’s facebook page here — feel free to like it and share it with your friends: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Logar-Memorial-5K-Run-1-Mile-Walk-for-Paralysis-Research/132637420134445

Thanks to Pat McCourt, a former coworker of Joe Neary (Sr.) at Johnson Matthey, who has participated in this race for a number years.

Here’s a bit about the Dave Logar Memorial Fund:

Dave was a star soccer player at Rowan University when he was hit by a car while he was landscaping and left paralyzed from the chest down.  Even after the accident, Dave kept the same determination, work ethic, and positivity that people saw in Dave before the accident.  Dave passed away 14 years ago due to complications in the filter to his lungs, but we keep the 5K Run and Walk going to remember Dave, and to help individuals in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area living with paralysis. We also donate money to the Buoniconti Fund for paralysis research and the Dave Logar Scholarship Fund, but our main goal is to help local individuals living with paralysis who have costs not covered under insurance.

We are very excited for this Sunday’s event at Union Trust! The event keeps getting better and better, so we wanted to announce a few more details and encourage those considering coming to buy your tickets now.

Brunch tickets are still available for $125 per person. The menu has been posted on the event site – http://ut4fokn.eventbrite.com/

In addition to the delicious brunch being offered by Union Trust, the event planners have put together a casino after party that will be open to the public.  If you can’t make brunch, be sure to come by for games, a live band, and raffles/silent auctions.  Those who have purchased brunch tickets will have complimentary select cocktails as well as other goodies at the after party. All chips and drinks proceeds will go toward the Kevin Neary Trust.

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

 Please share this with friends and encourage everyone to join the festivities!