LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 30, 2005) -- Ryan Gallagher, now a healthy 4-year-old, his parents and his twin brother celebrated his good health with a tour of the White House where they visited First Lady Laura Bush and shared Ryan’s survival story with the world.
Ryan, son of Chris and Kristin Gallagher of Lexington, Ky., was one of 50 children – one from every state – to participate in a Children's Miracle Network program called Foresters Champions Across America and Canada . Ryan was treated at University of Kentucky Children's Hospital.
Selected as Kentucky's representative in the program, Ryan went to Washington, D.C., as an ambassador for 17 million hospitalized children.
In September 2003, Ryan’s mother noticed he was running a high fever. The fever subsided and then returned a few days later. She and her husband decided after the fever returned that they would take Ryan to the doctor the next day.
That evening, Ryan’s parents were putting him and his twin brother, Sean, to bed. As they settled Sean into bed, they noticed it looked like Ryan had passed out. Ryan then started seizing. Ryan’s mother immediately called 911, and he was rushed to the University of Kentucky Hospital Emergency Department.
“We knew there was nothing we could do for Ryan,” she said. “As a parent, there isn't anything more profound, more terrifying, than putting your child’s life in someone else’s hands.”
Ryan was diagnosed with viral meningoencephalitis, or swelling of the brain, and required ventilator support and tube feeding in the UK Children’s Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“Viral meningoencephalitis is not rare, but what Ryan had was unusual because it affected the lower portion of his brain,” said Dr. William C. Robertson, professor of neurology and pediatrics, UK College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. “This resulted in long periods of time of not waking up.”
When Ryan was taken out of intensive care, he could not talk, walk or communicate with anyone, but with the help of occupational therapists, physical therapists and a dietitian he made a complete recovery.
“Our goal was to help Ryan do the things he could do before he was admitted to UK Children’s Hospital,” said Bridgette Hibbs, registered nurse, UK Children’s Hospital. “It’s rewarding to see a child in Ryan’s condition recover from his illness day-by-day.”
“We were extremely confident in the doctors, nurses and staff at UK Children’s Hospital,” Mrs. Gallagher said. “We felt included in his treatment and encouraged to ask questions and assist in his care. Nothing we do or say could ever convey how thankful we are to them.”
Now with his health and lots of energy, Ryan’s main interest is building with his hammer and saw and playing with his twin brother Sean.
Both Ryan and Sean love “Toy Story,” said their mother. Last Halloween Ryan dressed as Buzz Light Year. He still enjoys dressing in his Buzz Light Year costume and “flies” around the house saying, “To infinity and beyond!”
Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children by raising funds and awareness for 170 children's hospitals throughout North America. Each year these non-profit hospitals treat 17 million children with diseases and injuries of every kind.
UK Children's Hospital , which opened in 1997, cares for more than 6,000 patients like Ryan each year. Dedicated to meeting the health care needs of children from infancy to adolescence, the staff of UK Children's Hospital takes a family-centered care approach. For more information about UK Children's Hospital, call 257-1121.
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