Healing Gifts Spring 2014 - A Team Effort | Page 2

Back in action
Ryan was slowly brought out of the coma and started
responding in small ways—moving his arm, blinking and
trying to talk. The family recognized there was a long
journey ahead before Ryan would be the active, athletic
teenager they knew.
“Ryan is a fighter. Not only is he young and strong,
but he had so many people pulling for him, including
his brother, Ben, and his buddies and teammates from
school,” says Jenny. “The day he gave me a kiss on
the cheek was one of the best. Even the doctors were
surprised to see how much progress he was making.”
After 23 days at Lutheran General Hospital, Ryan was
ready to move on to the next phase of his recovery at a
rehabilitation center, where he spent a month learning to
walk and eat again, rebuilding his muscles, and working
on cognitive and memory issues.
“Ryan was so determined to regain his strength and get
back to the life he knew,” says Jenny. “He defied the odds.
He will not let this define him.”
To the amazement of his doctors and therapists,
Ryan went back to school last fall at St. Patrick’s High
School on Chicago’s Northwest Side. He works out with
the football team, gets good grades and recently got

Exceptional emergency care 24/7
As one of Chicagoland’s largest providers of
emergency and trauma care, Advocate Health Care
stands ready to serve patients with urgent care needs.
With the most trauma centers in Illinois—five Level I
(the state’s highest designation in trauma care), and
two Level II trauma centers—Advocate’s patients have
access to some of the best emergency treatment and
clinical expertise in the country.
Philanthropy plays an essential role in Advocate’s
ability to provide lifesaving care across the region—
expanding facilities to meet growing demand, funding
specialized programs aimed at training the next
generation of emergency medicine professionals,
and conducting leading-edge research.
Advocate currently seeks community support for the
following projects and programs:
• A renovation project at Advocate Lutheran
General Hospital's emergency department will
increase capacity by nearly 50 percent, easing

his driver’s license.
Ryan and his family went to visit the fire station where
the first responders work, and no one could believe he
was walking and talking. “Things went right,” says Jenny.
“A lot of things went wrong that night, but Lutheran
General Hospital a nd the trauma team got it right.” ■

overcrowding and reducing long waits. Advocate
Christ Medical Center—the state’s busiest trauma
center—is also planning an expansion of their
emergency department.
• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs
at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center,
Advocate South Suburban Hospital and
Advocate Condell Medical Center provide
expert, compassionate care for victims of sexual
assault. Donated funds help purchase equipment
and provide training opportunities for nurses.
• Charitable gifts support research projects and
continuing education programs for nursing students,
residents, x-ray technicians and EMT professionals
across the system to improve patient care and
health outcomes.
For more information or to make a gift, visit

advocatehealth.com/giving or call 630.929.6931.

Spring 2014 – healing gifts – 3