REILLY PHIPPSHE’S WHY WE’RE HERE AND WHY WE KEEP GOING
The moment two-year-old Reilly suffered a devastating spinal cord injury, his life and the lives of his family changed forever. Paralyzed below the shoulders and unable to breathe on his own, he and his family faced an uphill challenge and mounting bills. Reilly and his family inspired us. Their perseverance, dedication, and love motivated us to act and Rally4Reilly was born.
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The stroke cut the blood flow to his spinal cord and he was paralyzed below the shoulder and on a ventilator. After a year, he was moved to Berardi Center--a place for medically fragile children--where he stayed for a few months.
His family wanted him home, but his parents were struggling financially and the hospital could not release him without proper housing. Mom spent all her time either at the hospital or studying to become a certified caregiver, so she could make a little money while caring full-time for JR. Dad was working, but could only afford a small room above a garage. They needed an apartment.
Rally4Reilly & Friends, along with another nonprofit organization, was able to provide the family with a Wellness Grant for deposit and two months of rent, a tablet, Christmas gifts and a traditional Filipino dinner for the family to celebrate, groceries, hygiene and medical supplies, gift cards (he bought a big tv that he loves) and a birthday gift for his sister.
We are honored to have the opportunity to help the DeLeon family secure a safe space and provide comfort and independence for them during a fantastically stressful time.
His family wanted him home, but his parents were struggling financially and the hospital could not release him without proper housing. Mom spent all her time either at the hospital or studying to become a certified caregiver, so she could make a little money while caring full-time for JR. Dad was working, but could only afford a small room above a garage. They needed an apartment.
Rally4Reilly & Friends, along with another nonprofit organization, was able to provide the family with a Wellness Grant for deposit and two months of rent, a tablet, Christmas gifts and a traditional Filipino dinner for the family to celebrate, groceries, hygiene and medical supplies, gift cards (he bought a big tv that he loves) and a birthday gift for his sister.
We are honored to have the opportunity to help the DeLeon family secure a safe space and provide comfort and independence for them during a fantastically stressful time.
Our family was finally able to transfer to a new apartment and JR is home with us now. He is happy that we are all together again! We are very thankful and thanking God for people like you who didn’t think twice in sharing their help with our family. You are always welcome to visit our place! Thank you for helping us out financially.
— Joyce DeLeon
ADRIANRECOVERY IS NOT JUST PHYSICAL.
From Adrian’s Mom, Danielle:
In October of 2021, I received a phone call that changed my life and the life of my family forever. I was notified my son was shot in a park and no one could find him. I frantically searched for my son at every hospital in the South Bay Area and by calling the police department in San Diego and Chula Vista. My son was listed as a John Doe because he had no identifying information on his person. |
I finally found my son at UCSD hospital and was notified he was shot in the arm and the bullet went through his chest damaging his lung, stomach, diaphragm, and ultimately severed his spine at T11 rendering him paralyzed from the waist down. Even though we were thankful he was alive, it was still difficult to fully understand and comprehend what that actually meant.
My son has had a difficult road to recovery over the past six months. He has been in and out of the hospital on numerous occasions for a variety of reasons. During my son's stay at the Sharp Rehabilitation Center, I was given the number to call this Community Resource (Rally4Reilly) and man (Mark Daggett). I had no idea what my son's needs were or how difficult his transition home would be. I did not know what I did not know! It took a couple of weeks after receiving the number to call for services and support. To be honest I didn't even know what to expect or how this resource could even help my family.
I had to take a leave of absence from work to help my son transition home, which was considered an unpaid leave due to not having any FMLA leave available to me at the time. This created so much additional stress to an already stressful situation. My son needed a specific bed, hospital, and medical supplies such as wipes, adult diapers, catheters, Iodine swabs, sheets, pillows, shower chair, bedside commode, medical prescriptions, etc. This was such a financial hardship on my family UNTIL Rally4Reilly stepped in and provided my family with such support.
The program helped cover his medical supplies, bed, food, and other incidentals needed as my son came home and tried to put the pieces of his new body and new life together. It has been a lot of emotional and physical pain for him and all of us. The fact that I did not have to worry about all the wonderful things Mark and Rally4Reilly helped us with allowed me to fully concentrate on my son's recovery and healing process. For this I am truly humbled and grateful! Words cannot truly express how much these services have meant to my family, and we could not have made it through this difficult time without their support.
If you are considering supporting and or financially contributing to their cause, please do not hesitate. There are so many people in need of services and so little financial support and resources out there for people like us. I owe this foundation so much that I will never be able to pay back. They gave me hope for a future and allowed me time to help my son. I am forever thankful!
My son has had a difficult road to recovery over the past six months. He has been in and out of the hospital on numerous occasions for a variety of reasons. During my son's stay at the Sharp Rehabilitation Center, I was given the number to call this Community Resource (Rally4Reilly) and man (Mark Daggett). I had no idea what my son's needs were or how difficult his transition home would be. I did not know what I did not know! It took a couple of weeks after receiving the number to call for services and support. To be honest I didn't even know what to expect or how this resource could even help my family.
I had to take a leave of absence from work to help my son transition home, which was considered an unpaid leave due to not having any FMLA leave available to me at the time. This created so much additional stress to an already stressful situation. My son needed a specific bed, hospital, and medical supplies such as wipes, adult diapers, catheters, Iodine swabs, sheets, pillows, shower chair, bedside commode, medical prescriptions, etc. This was such a financial hardship on my family UNTIL Rally4Reilly stepped in and provided my family with such support.
The program helped cover his medical supplies, bed, food, and other incidentals needed as my son came home and tried to put the pieces of his new body and new life together. It has been a lot of emotional and physical pain for him and all of us. The fact that I did not have to worry about all the wonderful things Mark and Rally4Reilly helped us with allowed me to fully concentrate on my son's recovery and healing process. For this I am truly humbled and grateful! Words cannot truly express how much these services have meant to my family, and we could not have made it through this difficult time without their support.
If you are considering supporting and or financially contributing to their cause, please do not hesitate. There are so many people in need of services and so little financial support and resources out there for people like us. I owe this foundation so much that I will never be able to pay back. They gave me hope for a future and allowed me time to help my son. I am forever thankful!
Dearest Mark,
Thank you again for all the support you and Rally4Reilly have shown my family. We could not have made it through these past several months without your financial support. It was key in my son’s transition home. We are forever in gratitude at your kindness and faithfulness during our situation.”
Sincerely,
Danielle + Adrian
— Quote Source
JORDAN
HELPING HOWEVER WE CAN
Rally4Reilly & Friends is talking with another local family whose 18 year old son has been diagnosed with a type of malignant brain tumor.
Although our mission is grounded in helping those affected by Spinal Cord Injuries, we occasionally work with other organizations to help locate resources and offer direction to families affected by paralysis.
Although our mission is grounded in helping those affected by Spinal Cord Injuries, we occasionally work with other organizations to help locate resources and offer direction to families affected by paralysis.
STEPHANIE NICHOLS-RODAS
A PORTRAIT OF DETERMINATION AND STRENGTH
Stephanie was in a catastrophic car accident in 2017. She broke her C5 and C6, damaged her spinal cord from C4-C6, and suffered collapsed lung and neck damage. Doctors didn’t think she would survive and if she did, she would be paralyzed from the neck down. But Stephanie believes in miracles and was (and is) determined to gain more mobility. She started extensive therapy, making incredible progress, but had to stop when the family’s savings was exhausted. We reached out to Adapt Functional Movement Center where she had been making progress, spoke to the Director, and now we will be helping Stephanie continue her therapy and her progress in the coming months.
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DEREK BERRY
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES TO BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT
In 1997, Derek became a C-4/5/6 incomplete quadriplegic. With the help of ADAPT Functional Movement, he has been able to bear more weight on his legs and regain more motion in his hands and fingers. Derek credits ADAPT with helping him become more independent. So, it was very difficult to think of the prospect of having to discontinue therapy. Recently, he has had a hard time paying for the cost of living plus caregivers and therapies, so he reached out to us. We are so happy to be able to help him continue his therapy at ADAPT through the end of the year.
ASHLEY HOMA
DRIVING FREEDOM & INDEPENDENCE
Hello! My name is Ashley and I’m a C3 C4 incomplete quadriplegic as of 2019. I remember at the beginning of my injury feeling like my life was over and there was no future to look forward to. While I did have to go through a grieving process of the body I once had, my thinking couldn’t have been further from the truth. Like many newly disabled people, I’ve adapted to my new mind, body, and environment. The one thing holding me back, was not having the freedom and independence to drive. Thanks in part to Rally 4 Reilly and Friends and the generous hearts of others I’ve met along the way, I’ve been able to get back on the road. My first time back behind the wheel, I drove for twenty minutes around my neighborhood (there may have been many happy crying breaks) with a sense of pride I thought I lost three years ago. Each milestone of independence I gain, whether large or small, adds to my self-confidence, self-love, and sense of self. My car mechanic told me this as I left the lot, “Don’t get stuck in your everyday routine. Get out and drive because you can. Go out and live your life, do the things that make you happy, and enjoy the process.” I can happily say that I’m another step closer to living my life, not letting life happen around me because I can.
Anthony
DRIVEN & DETERMINED
Meet Anthony. He is 30, loves everything outdoors – surfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, camping and has a degree in Controlled Environment Agriculture. Two years ago he was in a motorcycle accident on July 29, in Bali while exploring surf and work opportunities in South East Asia. Due to Covid shutting down boarders and flights throughout the world he was stuck there for 50 days following his emergency surgery without proper rehabilitation and facing critical health challenges. Mid September 2020 with the help of repatriation doctors from the Netherlands, he made it back to San Diego and to USCD. After three weeks of evaluations, scans, light in bed PT and getting his over all health to a normal level he was transferred to Loma Linda for inpatient rehab because there were no doctors or facilities accepting new patients with Medical in San Diego. This facility unfortunately struggled to provide Anthony with the care and therapy he needed due to their staffing levels and he was discharged with little hope and added PTSD after only 28 days. His family and friends have rallied around him and raised money to get him as much Physical Therapy as possible since, but he was in need of more intensive hands on therapies. He needed occupational therapy to help him gain independence and doctor supervised physical therapy to help him overcome low blood pressure, mystery spasms and massive muscle atrophy. Anthony’s mom found NeuroWorx in Sandy, Utah which specializes in those areas for those with paralyzing spinal cord injuries, and this summer she reached out to Rally4Reilly & Friends to see about a grant that could help to make a five week intensive program possible. Within a few days of connecting with Mark and him speaking with the foundation board Anthony was awarded the funding he needed to make the trip and treatments possible! On the way to NeuroWorx he was also able to attend the Unite2Fight Paralysis Symposium where he was able to speak to researchers, clinicians and those working to cure paralysis and the issues that arise from it. He has started the treatment program and will be there through the end of October. We will share more about his progress as it comes.