Help Ryan Hedges walk again

Ryan Hedges gives his all in everything he does whether it is walking children to their Sunday youth program at church, running his own business, spending time with his family, or lending a helping hand to anyone in need. He is an active member of the safety team at the First Christian Church of Fort Myers, greets people with a smile as they arrive at church, helps with various ministries, and strives to serve God with his time and talents.

On Saturday, February 18, Ryan experienced one of the most terrifying events of his life. Although active and in good health at age 41, he started losing sensation in his legs. He called friends for a ride to the hospital to get checked out. What started with numbness in his toes progressed to further loss of sensation and then paralysis, which overtook his legs in just a few hours. By the time friends arrived to assist him, he had lost all sensation and was paralyzed from the hips down. His friends struggled to get him into the truck but managed to take him to a local hospital. He was found to be septic with an unknown infection and would need to be transferred to a higher level of care to further diagnose and treat him.

After being rushed by ambulance to another hospital that night, Ryan was found to have a severe Staph infection in his spinal column. He had emergency surgery (laminectomy) to remove bone, infected spinal lining, and infected fluid. The bone that was removed was part of his thoracic vertebrae, where the ribs connect to the spine, from T2 to T8. The infection caused damage to the nerves in this region, resulting in paralysis of everything below his lower rib cage. Although the prognosis of this type of case is typically low, Ryan can lightly sense some pressure when his legs and feet are touched. This gives some good hope of further recovery, but it will take many months.

Ryan needs extensive and specialized spinal rehab as quickly as possible to increase his chances of regaining any function of his legs. There are less than 20 of these specialized facilities in the United States and they are very costly. He will also need special equipment to facilitate his new daily routines. Unfortunately, Ryan’s insurance does not cover these expenses and he will have to pay out-of-pocket. Also, his apartment is not ADA-ready and he will have to move when he is released from a rehabilitation center. Any size of contribution to help cover these expenses is greatly appreciated.

Even though he may never regain the use of his legs, Ryan continues to stay positive and accepting of God’s divine intervention in his life. Through this tragedy, he feels that God will use him to share His love, light, and the Spirit. Please help us help Ryan, as he has done for so many others. Thank you in advance for your donations and thank you for your continued prayers for Ryan and his recovery.