Injured Marine Finds Strength in Family
Aug. 21, 2008— -- Every day like clockwork, firemen arrive at the Ellenville, N.Y., home of Marine Sgt. Eddie Ryan. But this not just a social visit -- they're here to work.
Ryan was injured in Iraq in 2005 during his third tour of duty. As part of an elite sniper team known as Reaper 6, Ryan was stationed on a rooftop in Ramadi when there was a breakdown in communication. He took two bullets to the head -- the victim of friendly fire.
The bullet that entered above his right eyebrow ripped through his brain, leaving him in grave condition.
"When we first got there, we did not expect him to survive," said his father, Chris.
"My prayers were, let him hang on," said his mother, Angie.
"Hang on, and we'll get you home to the land that you fought for," his father remembered. "It's amazing the deals you work out with God, but he got through that."
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But Ryan's next battle was just beginning. He spent the next 16 months in and out of hospitals. His injury left him with severely limited mobility. Veterans Affairs awarded him five days a week of physical, occupational and speech therapy, but his parents said that all of the help has not materialized.
"He's getting less than half," Chris Ryan told ABC News. "They're saying they can't provide the people."
Eddie Ryan's local VA currently provides him with one hour of physical therapy a week, five hours of speech therapy and two to three hours of occupational therapy. VA doctors have recommend that Ryan return to an inpatient facility to get full-time care, although his parents told ABC News that the primary doctor who made this diagnosis has never actually met their son. The VA however says that they have tried to schedule a meeting.
Ryan refuses to return to the VA, and his parents agree. "We don't ever want to see our kid in a VA hospital or any other facility again," said Chris. "If he can get his physical therapy here at home, he loves it here."
The Ryans are using their own money, along with money donated to them through fundraisers, to help their son get the care he needs. At great expense, they hired a personal trainer as well as music and massage therapists, but their son still needed more help.
