Prayer for Ray

30 JULY 2023 - Ray had two doctor visits this past week. One visit was to remove his staples from the baclofen pump surgery. His surgical incisions all healed well and the scars are added to his collection of a dozen or more surgical scars on his chest! He loves telling everyone he was mauled by a bear!

Second visit was to increase his baclofen levels towards a therapeutic dose. They have to make several adjustments once a week for a few weeks to reach this level.

We have Nebraska Football season tickets so Ray can't wait till the season starts! With his limited vision and mobility, Husker games are definitely a highlight in Ray's life right now! He listens to the radio broadcasts while enjoying the sounds of the fans and the atmosphere of Lincoln Stadium.

Please continue to keep Ray in your thoughts and prayers.

6 JULY 2024. - It has been four days post surgery and the surgical incisions on Ray’s back and stomach are healing well. His pain level is now at just a soreness level. Ray felt well enough to take a trip outside for some fresh air today.

Ray’s favorite holiday is Fourth of July so he was slightly bummed we couldn’t make it to Jen and Eric’s annual pool party! We did hear enough fireworks going off around his care facility.

Ray is actually a military history enthusiast so while he was confined to bed we binge watched several military movies. Netflix and Prime video have done a phenomenal job with audio description movies so Ray can enjoy listening to movies.

A big thank you to Cory Walrus for getting Ray an authentic New Jersey Devils game jersey. Ray was pretty excited to wear it!

Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers and will continue to keep you updated.

2 JULY 2024 - 1:35 pm - We are currently in pre-op at the moment. Ray’s surgery is scheduled for 3:15 central time. He is in good spirits and please pray for a successful surgery.

Will keep you updated if his progress…..

5:45 - Surgery successfully completed. During surgery, before current pump components replaced, the surgeon confirmed current pump configuration was not working properly. After replacement, proper medication flow was now flowing into Ray’s spinal cord!! We are extremely happy with the results and look forward to Ray receiving the benefits of this properly working baclofen pump! Ray is in recovery and will be out of it for awhile. He is spending the night for observation. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

3 JULY - 11:40am - Ray’s surgeon just stopped by to check on Ray and to look at the two surgical incisions. Everything looks good so Ray is cleared to return to his rehab facility.

Ray does not sleep well at hospitals and was up most of the night. He is looking forward to getting back into his own bed for a good rest! We will be leaving shortly.

Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers!

29 JUNE 2024 - Ray originally had his Baclofen pump surgery scheduled for July 10th but the surgery was moved up to this Tuesday July 2nd.

This will be the second Baclofen pump surgery Ray has had performed. The first surgery was unsuccessful. This surgery will be performed by a different surgeon and hospital. We are hoping and praying for a successful result this time.

Ray's leg surgery will be performed 4-6 weeks after this surgery.

Ray is slightly anxious about this surgery so please keep him in your prayers and thoughts.

Thank you all and I will update on day of surgery.

3 JUNE 2024 - Received both good news and bad news today with Ray’s surgeon. Thankfully more good than bad.

Ray will require several surgeries in the near future to restore his legs back to where he can stand and walk. Ray took the news well and is looking forward to the advanced rehab post surgery.

Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers.

We will continue to keep you updated.

28 MAY 2024 - It is with a very happy heart that I make this update. Last month’s procedure that failed was repeated today with success!

Ray’s hips seen significant loosening while his knees and ankles also showed improvement. Ray could also feel his legs loosen and after his final evaluation said “ Thank you Jesus”! A sentiment I also feel at this moment!

Next step is meeting with his occupational doctors on Monday to discuss his future surgery.

Thank you all for keeping Ray in your thoughts and prayers and please continue to do so.

We will keep you updated.

26 MAY 2023 - This Tuesday May 28 at 10 am Ray will be having a surgical procedure.

This is the same procedure that was performed last month and failed miserably.

The procedure this time is being performed at a different hospital with a different neurological team.

This procedure was done over a year ago with positive results and we are hoping and praying Ray has positive results again this time.

This procedure is extremely important for Rays future. If it works, another baclofen pump surgery will be performed that will hopefully help Ray walk again.

Please Pray that the surgery is a success and I will keep you updated on Tuesday.

27 APRIL 2024 - after a life-threatening day yesterday, Ray and I enjoyed the spring game. Perfect weather for a perfect game.

26 APRIL 2024 - I am letting you all know that Ray is fine. The tornado touched down four blocks from his care facility and leveled the neighborhood. I believe no one was injured. I had taken Ray out of the care facility about 5 minutes before it hit and drove him to a safe area. Please pray for the families that lost their homes.

26 APRIL 2024 - I do my best updating Ray's Facebook with the latest news going on his life. I am unable to post everything going on and certain information I can't post at all.

With that being said....

Numerous individuals have contacted me regarding Ray's procedure last week. All I can say is the procedure did not give us the same results as the same procedure performed a year earlier.

As my son's advocate, I spent all morning at the University of Nebraska Medical center visiting six different departments regarding Ray's current and future medical needs. I am waiting to hear back from several members of the UNMC staff and hope to have encouraging news for everyone next week. Thank you to everyone that follows Ray's journey of healing.

On a lighter note .... Ray and I will be at the spring game tomorrow. Our seats are under the stadium at the north end zone so stop by to say hi if you are at the game.

Thank you all again and please continue to keep Ray in your thoughts and prayers.

26 APRIL 2024 - This Sunday April 28th we will be celebrating Rays birthday at his care facility in Elkhorn. We will have pizza and cake from 1:00 - 3:00. Please stop by to wish Ray a Happy Birthday.

Life Care Facility 20275 Hopper Street, Elkhorn NE

18 APRIL 2024 - Unfortunately, Rays procedure did not go well. We were really expecting significant movement in his legs but that result did not happen.

We are looking into other procedures that might help Ray so please continue to keep Ray in your prayers and we will keep you updated.

Ray was not happy with the results but is in good spirits. Ray is still trusting that God will work out a way for him to walk again one day.

18 APRIL 2024 - Ray has been admitted and is in his room waiting patiently for the procedure.

It will be a long day but will update this afternoon.

Please pray the procedure goes well.

16 APRIL 2024 - I was hoping to ask you all to pray for a medical procedure Ray will be having tomorrow but it is now postponed to Thursday.

Ray had a Baclofen pump installed a year ago and it has not been functioning well. This procedure on Thursday will be part of a new pump installation.

Please keep Ray in your prayers for Thursday and I will give updates throughout the day Thursday.

Thank you and God bless you all.

11 MAR 2024 - Some photos of Ray this past week.

11 MAR 2024 - 11 MAR 2024

Whenever Ray meets a new caretaker, therapist, doctor, etc.... He is always introduced as: "This is Ray, the patient that has died three times!".

When Ray meets a doctor for the first time he will always say: "Hey Doc, ever meet someone that has died three times?" They always respond "No". Then Ray says "Would you like my autograph?!".

So.... when we were registering Ray's handicap van he requested personalized plates and .... you can see what he requested! You will either love it or hate it but Ray loves it! We also attached a QR Code next to the license plate so when someone takes a photo of his plate it will take them to his page. We have seen several people take a photo of his plate while we are waiting at a red light!

It is a conversation starter for Ray and he always tells people that God has a plan for his life and shares his story with them all. Ray has blessed many families going through similar situations with loved ones.

As for the Tennessee Football decals? They are to honor the previous owner of the van Will Atkins. Ray and Will had so much in common and they both loved college football!

Ray has become a part of Will's family in Tennessee and we look forward to meeting them all one day! Ray said it would be nice if Nebraska meets Tennessee in a bowl game this year so if we do - you heard it here first!

11 MAR 2024 - Last Thursday we attended the Toby Mac concert in Omaha. It had been arranged for Ray to meet Toby backstage but just for a quick photo op before he went on stage.

Toby showed up and the photo op turned into Toby taking the time to talk with Ray! Toby shared how he had a son in a wheelchair and we shared Ray's story. Toby then spent time talking with Ray and encouraging him that after dying three times God has a plan for his life! Ray was truly blessed by the encounter and I can't thank Toby Mac enough for taking the time to talk with Ray. The guy is a class act!

Ray has been a lifelong DC Talk / Toby Mac fan and included photos of Ray in his younger days wearing concert shirts.

Special thank you to Jill@Life 100.7for helping Ray to meet Toby!

(UPDATED 02 FEB 2024)

There have been numerous new visitors to Ray's page asking for his story so here is a quick updated post on why this page was created.

On August 16, 2021 Ray was involved in a horrific car accident. Ray’s car went off a bridge and landed upside down in the Elkhorn river. He was trapped in the vehicle and extracted by the fire department emergency workers. Ray was life flighted to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and on the flight went into cardiac arrest. Ray was revived at the hospital and was prepped for open heart surgery. Thirty minutes after arriving at the hospital Ray once again went into cardiac arrest. Doctors were again able to revive Ray and then performed lifesaving heart surgery.

After his surgery the cardiologists said the chances of Ray surviving the night where very slim. Last Rites were performed on Ray at that time. After surgery Ray was in a coma and placed on life-support. For the first three days of his recovery the neurological team performed numerous tests on Ray. On the fourth day they notified us that the CAT scans and MRIs showed that Ray was officially brain dead.

We were given two choices. First choice was to put Ray in a vegetative state care facility for the rest of his life. Option two was to stop life-support and donate Ray’s organs. We choose another option and told the hospital staff we were a family of faith and believed God had other plans for Ray. We then created this page "PrayerforRay" and had over 30,000 people from around the world praying for Ray.

After several weeks, Ray against all odds started to awaken from his coma. Eventually Ray was awake enough to be removed from the ventilator and breathe with the assistance of a tracheotomy. Ray was also put on a feeding tube. When Ray first woke up from his coma, he had no vision at all and could not move his arms or legs.

Six months into his therapy Ray once again coded for the third time and was revived but placed on life-support once again for three days. Ray has progressed to the point where he no longer has a trach or feeding tube and can participate in daily therapy.

Over the course of the last two years and seven months Ray has made improvement with the movement of his arms and legs and he can now see shadows and differentiate between colors 10 feet away from his face.

This journey to recovery has provided many challenges for Ray and he has his good and bad days. Ray is a man of faith and he truly believes God has a plan for his life. He tells people you don't die three times without there being a purpose for him still here on earth!

Ray Is 100% cognitively aware and has 100% of all his memories. Brain injuries require an extended period of time to recover from and we are hoping and praying with God's help that Ray will continue to improve on his road to recovery.

Thank you...

21 FEB 2024 - Ray has had a very busy month with rehab and medical appointments. Having a van now has really enabled Ray to have a social life. (Thank you Kim!) Ray has made numerous visits to family and friends along with many trips to local restaurants. He has become a huge fan of "Porky Butts" barbeque along with Texas Roadhouse and Vidlaks on his list of favorite places to eat!

We were also able to take Ray to church this past Sunday and he thoroughly enjoyed the service! Ray's faith has really grown over the past several months. He has been studying the bible and we are currently reading the Left Behind series of books. We are in book 3 of 12 so we will be busy for a few months! Ray has also had what he calls "several moments of divine intervention" in his life recently! It is inspiring to see what God is doing in his life and we look forward to sharing more with you in the next few weeks.

Also - Ray is also very excited to become an uncle again! His brother Patty and lovely wife Shelby welcomed Rory James McManus to our family yesterday!

Please continue to pray for Ray and God Bless you all!

11 JAN 2023 - Over the past two years of Ray’s journey to recovery we have had many people that have become a part of Ray’s story. From his doctors, caretakers, family and friends, the list is full of amazing people that have been a blessing to Ray.

Tonight we add two more names to the list!

Four months ago I shared that we were looking for an affordable handicap van for Ray. We had been renting vans to take Ray to Husker games, weddings and other social events but the rental costs were very high. We looked at numerous vans but none fit our needs and budget.

Last week an amazing couple named Kim and Patrick from Tennessee read Ray’s Facebook story and wanted to help Ray with a van. Kim had a van she would travel with her late son Will throughout the southern states. Kim also has an amazing story of her own with her son Will.

They made their van very affordable for us and I travelled to Tennessee to pick it up. Kim is beyond generous and loaded the van up with goodie bags of snacks and treats along with a bag full of Tennessee Football apparel!

I thank God for putting Kim and Patrick in our lives and blessing us so much! It has opened the door for Ray to have freedom to go out and have a social life of beng with family and friends.

Last night Ray enjoyed dinner at Texas Roadhouse and tonight we had dinner at his brother Patty’s house. We had a booked social calendar for the weekend but the weather is not cooperating!

This van will change Ray’s life!

Thank you again to Kim and Patrick for sharing their son Will’s van with Ray. God bless you both!

16 DEC 2023 - We have been renting handicap vans the past several months to take Ray to Husker games and various family events. It has been a very expensive undertaking.

During this time we have been unsuccessfully trying to purchase a good used handicap van. Unfortunately, we have not had much luck.

Our budget is between $10,000 and $25,000. Just looking for a well maintained side ramp entrance van regardless of vehicle age. We prefer a family that is selling a van they no longer need versus a car dealer or a car flipper.

Thank you in advance for any help provided.

Contact: Brian @ 402-706-0816

9 DEC 2023 - Ray had asked me to post photos of his grandmother Anne McManus. Ray's grandma passed away early this morning.

Ray's grandma lived in New Jersey and Ray spent every summer vacation at the Jersey Shore. Ray would also spend numerous Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations in New Jersey / New York City.

Over the course of the past few weeks Ray would Facetime with his grandma and reminisce about their times together. Ray was able to talk with her last night and their last words to each other were "I Love You". Ray will miss his grandma dearly but has a lifetime of memories of her.

Ray was very close with his grandma and is obviously very sad at her passing so please pray for the peace that passes all understanding to fill him today.

God bless you all....

11 NOV 2023 - Ray was able to attend his second Nebraska Football game this year! Ray had a great time and thank you to all the coaches, players and fans that came up to say hello to Ray. A lot of people recognized Ray from his TV interview about the Coach Rhule photo.

It was a bit chilly but we had Ray bundled up pretty good! Ray just loves being around the sounds and smells of all the tailgaters! It was a Salute to Veterans game so thank you to all the veterans that stopped to talk with Ray. He was talking with the Army guys about getting an all terrain camouflage ambulance to drive him to games!

Ray is continuing with his therapy and is still making slow but steady progress. Thank you to all of his caretakers and therapists.

Ray is hoping we win one more game to be bowl eligible. If it's a near by bowl we might just take a road trip!

Please continue to keep Ray in your thoughts and prayers and God Bless you all!

16 OCT 2023 - Ray had a very busy weekend. On Thursday he went to the Mercy Me concert and met all the band members. On Saturday he attended his cousin Kylie’s wedding to Collin. He had a great time at both venues and was partied out by Sunday! Ray spent Sunday taking power naps to catch up on sleep!

I have attached photos of Ray at the wedding. He had a great time seeing all his family. Ray has a lot of very young nieces and nephews, and they all used his wheelchair as a jungle gym! Ray loved every minute of it!

Please continue to Pray For Ray!

13 OCT 2023 - Starting off with an apology. Some kind person sent Ray a bouquet of flowers. We found them in Rays room but there wasn’t a card found with the flowers. We were unable to send a thank you card so, we want to thank whoever sent them - thank you so very much!

I have attached a copy of a post from this Facebook account dated August 30 2021. While Ray was still in a coma, I posted the music video attached to this current post.

The song “Say I Won’t” by Mercy Me became the Inspirational Anthem song for Ray’s recovery. When you watch the video you will understand.

If you are trying to recover from a physical, mental, or other set back in your life, this song was meant for you! I told the Therapists at Madonna Rehab they need to play this video in their waiting room!

Last night, Mercy Me was performing a concert in Omaha. With the help of Lyndsey and Nicole at KGBI Life 100.7, Ray was able to meet the members of the band Mercy Me last night!

We shared Ray’s story and how their song was such an inspiration to us all. They talked with Ray and we had a great time together. They are such an amazing group of Christian men and Ray was truly blessed by the encounter. Thank you to everyone Ray met last night and for being a part of Ray’s story.

The concert was incredible. Andrew Ripp and Crowder music were also a blessing.

After meeting Mercy Me last night and Nebraska Football Coach Rhule last month, Ray said he can’t wait to see who God has him planned to meet next month!!

Please continue to pray of Ray and God Bless you all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhTHgaCjTJs