Kevin on the Hand Crank Bike 2/4/12 Kevin's Progress 2 Years Later ___________________________________________________________________________________  Mr. McDermott, Kevin, and Sean at Cherry Valley Club for the "Caring for Kevin" Golf Event Caring For Kevin Golf Outing – 10/26/09
On
October 26, 2009 - 250 golfers hit the links at Cherry Valley Club and the
Garden City Country Club to help support Kevin.
It turned out to be a spectacular day as the sun was shining and
temperatures hovered near 70 degrees.
Kevin greeted players at both courses prior to the scheduled starting
times. Both courses were in fantastic
shape thanks to the work of pros Ed Kelly and Don Beatty and their course
superintendents. Our thanks to the
members of Cherry
Valley and Garden City
for allowing us the use of both courses for the event. The day of golf was followed by dinner at Cherry Valley
where the golfers and another 150 friends and family were treated to an
incredible cocktail hour and delicious food.
Auction and raffle prizes included rounds of golf at special golf
courses like Shinnecock, National, Merion, Winged Foot, and Waterville
(Ireland), fishing trips to Costa Rica and Montauk, tickets to see the Grammy
Awards in LA, the NCAA Final Four, Duke-North Carolina basketball at Cameron
Stadium, vacation trips to resorts in Costa Rica and the British Virgin
Islands, and golf trips to Riviera in LA that also included tickets to a Lakers
basketball game and Valhalla in Kentucky that also included club seats at
Churchill Downs. Special thanks to Jack
Kiley and Tom White for acting as Master of Ceremonies and auctioneer,
respectively, for the night. The
highlight of the evening was an inspirational speech given by Kevin where he
had the opportunity to tell everyone about the progress he has made and to
thank everyone for all of their help and support. The proceeds from the outing and dinner will
be used to help pay for the home modifications, special van, and continuing
therapy and equipment for Kevin. Thank you everyone for caring for
Kevin!  Ryan, Kevin, and Erin at the "Caring for Kevin" Golf Event Dinner ___________________________________________________________________________________ On October 24, 2009, over 250 of Kevin’s family and friends attended a fundraiser at Mulcahy’s Bar and Restaurant in Wantagh. The evening was a great success thanks to the tireless efforts of Chris Vella who organized and hosted the event. Music was provided by the band Tribute, who did a fantastic job of entertaining everyone with song covers ranging from the Beatles to the Boss. Raffle prizes included Yankee playoff tickets, Knicks tickets, and a flat screen HDTV. The proceeds will be used to help with the costs for Kevin’s continuing physical therapy and medical equipment and supplies. Thanks to everyone who attended!  Good friends at the Mulcahy's Bar Night ___________________________________________________________________________________ Video of Kevin working hard at Physical Therapy ___________________________________________________________________________________ Kevin Walking at Burke and Outside the House __________________________________________________________________________________ Kevin in Physical Therapy 1.5 years after his accident. __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
Kevin's Latest Progress: February 5, 2012 Update See videos below to check out Kevin's progress After two and a half years of intense physical and occupational therapy at Burke Rehabilitation Center, Kevin has graduated with distinction and relocated to Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center in New York City. The entire McDermott family would like to sincerely thank all the therapists and staff at Burke, and most especially, Marie Beirne. Without your help and motivation, Kevin would not have made the physical, mental, and emotional progress he has made over the past two years. Currently, Kevin travels to Mt. Sinai two days a week in order to continually test his limits and strive for independency. On his days off from Mt. Sinai, Kevin rehabs at home working on his balance, his core, and standing as long as possible. Using free weights and resistance bands, Kevin grows stronger each day. His walking has become more fluid as he aims to increase his endurance. Also, Kevin has returned to the track thanks to John Carson for donating his hand crank bicycle. Even in the cold and windy weather at Garden City High School, Kevin attempts to record a personal best on the bike every time he is on the track. Please keep Kevin in your prayers as he endures through his spinal cord injury. On the line! After his discharge from the inpatient unit at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital on October 9, Kevin began his outpatient rehabilitation at Burke the following week. Three days each week, he undergoes several hours of extensive physical therapy and occupational therapy. Additionally, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kevin is involved in a special research program at Burke where he undergoes physical therapy on his arms, wrists, and hands using state-of-the-art robots and computers developed by scientists at MIT. His progress in outpatient therapy has been remarkable. His arms and wrists are stronger and he has very good movement of the fingers on his left hand. By early November, he was able to stand upright for a few seconds, with minimal assistance. Three weeks later, he was able to stand upright from his wheelchair without assistance for several minutes. All of this hard work and effort to regain his standing balance has paid off for Kevin. On December 1, he took his first steps during physical therapy! While working on the parallel bars, he was able to lift his feet and slide step for the length of the bars! He continues to amaze all of us with his determination and work ethic. We remain hopeful and optimistic for his recovery. Thank you everyone for your prayers and continuing support. Go Kevin!!! ---------------------------------------------------- News and Press: Newsday.com featured an article about Kevin in their September 26 issue: A few months ago, Kevin McDermott had the rare honor of playing a few rounds at Augusta National Golf Club. He has pictures of himself and buddies at Amen Corner, crossing Hogan Bridge. He still tells about playing the impeccable par three course, where there isn't one blade of grass taller than any other.... ---------------------------------------------------------- .jpg) Kevin competed today in the Burke Wheelchair Games. He was the only competitor who had a cervical cord injury (meaning you can't use your hands or arms properly) who used a manual wheelchair to race. He chose a very long distance, 100m, for someone who can only move inches at a time, but he stuck with it and completed the race like a true champion. Kevin also threw a softball 8 feet, a huge improvement the first time he picked up a ball and could not throw it past his lap! We are all very proud of him and thankful for all the continued prayers and support. -Erin McDermott Nance, September 26 .jpg) |
