An update from Anita & Dennis

"Good progress in the past few days. Dennis was transferred from the hospital to in-patient rehabilitation at Kessler on Wednesday, on the evening of his 43^rd birthday. He was there only 15 minutes when a concerned nurse came to the door and said “you have 25 visitors.” The Hilltop Bicycle guys had taken their Wednesday night ride to Kessler to say “Happy Birthday.” Amazing.

Today the real work on the road to recovery began. Three hours of therapy a day for the next couple months. Dennis worked hard and made some progress in his core stability and upper body movements during the first session.

As always, thank you all for your notes, thoughts, prayers, and support. They help. We are overwhelmed and inspired by the interest that people have shown in Dennis’ recovery and the kindness to our family at this time."

Birthday Ride to Kessler

Last night, a group of guys rode from Hilltop Bicycles (Hb) to Kessler to wish Dennis a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Dennis!

As the story is told, Ed Coad went into the lobby and told the woman at the desk that there were a few people waiting to see Dennis. Upon asking how many, he said "Oh...about 20 or so..." Ed then motioned to the group... and in they came.

We're fairly certain this was a first for Kessler. :)

Packing into the elevator to make their grand entrance

We wish we all could have been there. What a special night.

Happy, HAPPY Birthday, Dennis!

You handsome gents are quite a crew! Many thanks to Big Mike (Stultz) for taking the pictures. These pics will no doubt have all of Team McGorty smiling. :)

The Hammer Ride Fleet

McGorty Family Fund

For those of you who have asked about donating, we have created the McGorty Family Fund to help provide an avenue of assistance for those who wish to contribute:

http://mcgortyfamilyfund.org/

100% of the donations collected via this campaign will be disbursed to the McGorty Family. We expect the funds to be used for medical expenses, or other appropriate expenditures at the family's discretion. The McGorty Family Fund is coordinated by friends of the family, with the approval of their representatives.

You can donate in two ways:

1. Tax Deductible Donations via their Church:
You may donate by mailing a check payable to "Holy Trinity Church," with "McGorty Family Fund" in the "notes" section to:
McGorty Family Fund
P.O. Box 892
Chatham, N.J. 07928

This option works best if you are eligible for company matching, or for tax deductible purposes. We will update the site weekly with how much is raised through this route.

2. Online via WePay:
You may also donate via WePay for direct donations online. This option is not tax deductible at this time, and payments will be sent directly to the McGorty's for their medical expenses.

Thank you for your continued support!
Team McGorty

McGorty MealTrain

Many have asked how to help. The donation page is underway (will send link ASAP). In the meantime, if you'd like to help with a meal or visiting with Dennis...here's a link to the McGorty MealTrain (please log in to access):

http://www.mealtrain.com/?id=mbrpl1wpiynt

These notes are on the MealTrain site...but figured I'd share them here as well:

• ALLERGIES/RESTRICTIONS: None
• FAVORITE MEALS: Anita didn't specify any of her favorites...but as for the kids she said they eat all meats and even shrimp (no other fish). They eat veggies (preferably raw) and some favorites are broccoli, carrots, green beans. Of course the kids love plain pasta and mac n' cheese. And they love fruit...so fruit salads might be nice.
• LEAST FAVORITE MEALS: None specified
• DROP-OFF TIME: 5PM - 6PM. We have a "Team McGorty" cooler in the backyard that folks can use to deliver meals in case she isn't there. Please bring an ice pack with you just in case.
• ADD'L NOTES: Please try to put foods in containers that don't need to be returned (e.g. disposable aluminum pans, plastic ware, etc).

Thanks so much for all of your support. Please keep sending your prayers.
TEAM McGORTY

Note from Anita & Dennis

“Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers. All your emails, calls, and texts have brought comfort and they help more than you could ever know.

I know people are eager to know the extent of Dennis’ injuries and how his recovery is going.

Dennis’s spine was significantly injured in the accident, leaving him paralyzed below the waist. He had surgery a few hours after the accident to piece back together the bones of his spine, but there is no surgery at this time to repair a damaged spinal cord, which in this case was also greatly impacted.

Many people have called this accident tragic and there is no doubt that it is, but there are also miracles in this situation too—and I think that is important to recognize as it’s brought into perspective.

Miracle one: he is alive. It defies logic that a person could go through what he did, be pinned under a vehicle, and survive, but he did.

Miracle two: the impact of the accident was great; yet he sustained no head injury. This has shocked his doctors, as it’s rare you get this lucky in these types of accidents.

Keeping this perspective makes us feel very fortunate and grateful.

As for how Dennis is recovering, he is again surprising doctors at how quickly he is healing overall from such a significant trauma and surgery. He is eating and breathing on his own. He has already participated in physical therapy sessions. And yes, he is already making his doctors and visitors laugh with his sense of humor—also miraculously still intact. My favorite: “Can you ask people to visit in breakaways, not pelotons?” Translation for non-cyclists: a few people at a time rather than in big groups.

Given Dennis’ gaining strength, he will be transferred from the hospital to in-patient rehab (Kessler in NJ) right after Memorial Day, where he’ll be for about six weeks.

For what comes next from there we remain optimistic. There will be big challenges for sure, but as cliché as it sounds, we also believe things happen for a reason and choose to see this as destiny and a chance to channel the circumstances into something positive.

The amazing love and support that our family, friends, our doctors, and community has shown has been amazing and helps keep hopeful for the future whatever it brings.”

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Message from Team McGorty: We know that everyone is eager to help. We have a webpage underway that will include links to a mealtrain site and donation page. We will send those to everyone as soon as they are ready. Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers.