Update on Ryan Diviney: BR Alum in Coma After Attack is Moved to Atlanta; Family Awaits "Small Miracles"

VivaLoudoun.com is following the recovery of Ryan Diviney, a 20-year-old West Virginia student and former Broad Run High School standout athlete, seriously injured in an attack almost two weeks ago.


(Nov. 25, 2009) - Ryan Diviney, the injured Broad Run High School student after an attack in West Virginia earlier this month, has taken the next step to recovery after he was taken by air ambulance to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the top rehabilitation facilities in the nation for people with brain injuries.

The Diviney family is waiting for their son, 20, to wake up from the coma he has been in since the attack. Please keep Ryan and his family in your thoughts and prayers as you celebrate Thanksgiving in Loudoun and around the area.

Here are the updates from the past week from Ryan father, Ken Diviney:

Nov. 25 5 p.m. Update: Ryan remains off ventilation; hopefully permanently. They moved him from his bed to a chair for a couple of hours. He remains in a coma, but it was great to see him sitting! They said he has a chance of leaving ICU early next week, if he can show continued physical stability. This will be a long, slow journey that will need your thoughts and prayers. Kari is relentless in her dedication to him. She makes me so proud!

Nov. 25 Noon Update: A special thank you to CNN for having a traditional Thanksgiving meal sent to us for tomorrow. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, pumpkin pie, gravy and mac and cheese. This is just so thoughtful and loving.

Nov. 25 11 a.m. Update: If all goes well, they will try to get Ryan into a sitting position for a while. He continues to spike fevers occassionally. He remains in a coma; we hope and anticipate he will wake. He's breathed on his own for over a day now. The prayers got him to this point, where he is mostly stable and ready to turn the corner. Keep them coming!


Nov. 24 9 p.m. Update: Shepherd, like Ruby, is an amazing facility! Ryan is settled in his ICU "suite". His room is huge! He is physically stable and resting. We learned he developed blood clots in his legs, but Ruby inserted a filter early on to protect him. He's now also on blood thinners. We are excited for his next small miracle.

Nov. 24 11 a.m. Update: Ryan arrived at Shepherd safely.

Nov. 24: 10:30 a.m. Update: We just landed in Arlanta. Heading to Shepherd now.

Nov. 24 9 a.m. Update: Heading with Ryan to the airport now. Should be airborne shortly.

Nov. 24 7:30 a.m. Update: To Ruby Staff: We are so impressed. You saved our son (more than a few times) and gave him a chance. You gave us hope. It touched us so deeply how you grew to love our son and family. Thanks for "taking Ryan home" with you and making him your 1st visit when you arrived. It meant the world to us. We hope that one day Ryan will meet you again and you'll know even more what makes him so special. All our love...

Nov. 24 1:30 a.m. Update: Ryan's running a fever, but this seems to be part of the brain figuring things out. We're excited he showed some response in his eyes. The past 2 days he seems to be trying to track objects (slightly) with his left eye. Today he might have done the same with his right eye. He also showed a strong blink reflex. Last night, he was startled (reflex) when Sue dumped ice in a metal sink. Little miracles...

Nov. 23 9:30 p.m. Update: Ryan is heading to Atlanta very early tomorrow morning! He will be transported to Morgantown airport via ambulance and fly in an air ambulance. When he lands in Atlanta he will be taken to Shepherd in ambulance again. At that time, we can change our focus to mental rehab! Thank God for giving him a chance!

Nov. 23, 5 p.m. Update: There is a fair chance Ryan might be discharged to Atlanta tomorrow! I'll let everyone know if this will happen. It just seems senseless battling insurance up front for payment of the air ambulance. We can work out the money later. The important thing is to get him to rehab. We pray he remains stable throughout the night!

Nov. 23 2 p.m. Update: The med team cleared discharge on Wed, provided he remains stable! Shepherd is ready for him, so we're hopeful for no glitches. He's still in a coma, and we remain hopeful he'll wake. We spend days talking, playing sound, exercising joints, playing ESPN, reading posts/prayers, touching him all over, and allowing him to rest. He is in a good place physically. We are so excited to shift focus to the mental aspect soon.

Nov. 23 Noon Update: The likelihood of Ryan getting to Atlanta this week is looking good. We should know for certain by this time tomorrow (if insurance doesn't create any issues). The target day for his transport is Wednesday! We are standing by for the med team to update us on his condition. He spent almost 14 hours breathing on his own yesterday. Today we again hope for total removal. He feels your thoughts and prayers.

Nov. 22 11 p.m. Update: Praying for Ryan to have a good night. We thought we might have seen a few more involuntary responses today, but want to make sure before posting. We adore the doctors and nursing staff at Ruby Memorial! They treat him like one of their own family members; really heart-touching! No matter where they are assigned, it seems the 1st thing they do is check on Ryan.

Nov. 22 5 p.m. Update: Ryan's having a quiet day. They removed an artery line; 1 less thing that could introduce infection. He remains comatose, but we bombard his senses with sound, touch, feel, etc. The WVU admin has been wonderful! They visit regularly and told us not to worry about anything on the school's side. WVU is a great school that really cares for their students. Ryan would be so proud of the WVU community.

Nov. 22 9:45 a.m. Update: Ryan's feeding is at goal. They hope to remove from ventilation at 10am. He's been a bit more active with involuntary responses. These are positive signs. Kari remains bedside; reading posts, playing sound effects, speaking encouragement, and praying. We expect the med team later this morning, so perhaps we'll have a better timeline for transport to Atlanta. We thank everyone for lifting Ryan up in prayer and thought.

Nov. 21 7:30 p.m. Update: Ryan spent most of the day breathing on his own (past 9 hrs). He was just put back on to rest for the night. He's been getting fed for a couple of hrs now! This has got to help. I'll let everyone know when we know a timeline for him leaving to Shepherd in Atlanta. The care at Ruby Hospital is amazing! Please, keep him in your prayers.

Nov. 21 5 p.m. Update: Ryan's x-Ray was encouraging. The air pocket decreased by 75 percent. He will finally get some food in his stomach tonight! Also received a good report on his lung lab work not showing any bacteria. Thank God!

Nov. 21 3:30 p.m. Update: Ryan's temp came down. He's been off the ventilator since 10am and is doing well breathing on his own. Our concern now is an air pocket just below the diaphragm, but it was likely caused by the feeding tube operation. He will get an x-Ray soon to make sure it hasn't grown. He got a haircut (buzz) last night. He really looks great.

Nov. 21 10:30 a.m. Update: Ryan had high fever last night, but slowly coming down (I hope). The nurse said this is common in severe brain trauma & hopefully is not infection. He's still in a coma, so the waiting continues. We hope he'll wake so we have a better idea of mental and physical abilities. The prayer has been key in his recovery!

Nov. 20 11 p.m. Update: We are so excited about both the BR football win and tribute to Ryan. I know he will love hearing about it. Thanks to everyone for taking this journey with us. Many prayers were answered. It's a miracle he even survived, let alone be stabilized physically. Soon we will shift focus to his mental rehab. THANK YOU!

Nov. 20 5 p.m. Update: The feeding tube operation was successful! He did well through the procedure. Ryan had a huge day, from a physical perspective. This should go a long way to maintaining his vital signs. I'll let everyone know when we have a more certain discharge to rehab date. Everyone: Thank you for your prayers.

Nov. 20 11:30 a.m. Update: It sounds like there is a good chance of Ryan getting the feeding tube today! We're so excited for him to take another step.

Nov. 20 10 a.m. Update: They are in the process of removing the tube from his head that monitors pressure in his skull! The feel he is stable enough and there will be no more brain swelling. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming!

Nov. 20 9 a.m. Update: We are anxious for the med team to do their rounds. Ryan's stomach has been responding well this morning. We hope he will get the feeding tube soon. The brain swelling/pressure appears to be stabilizing more each day. Physically, he has surprised everyone with his recovery. Still in a coma, so mental condition remains unknown. Kari caught up on reading all the posts last night!

Nov. 19 10 p.m. Update: I really need to let everyone know how thankful I am to have you behind us through this. Please, I beg, stay with us as we hit the bumps in the road as well as celebrate the small miracles. Such an outpouring of love and support is overwhelming and comforting at the same time. I can't wait to hug every single person who lifted us up.

Nov. 19 9:15 p.m. Update: Ryan has made another physical step to recovery. He was able to finally move the contents of his stomach, so the digestive system seems to be recovering. This is huge. Many prayers were answered tonight. THANK GOD! I know he will be so, so angry at me some day for posting this. Still, I will be smiling inside as he is yelling at me!

Nov. 19 6:30 p.m. Update: Ryan did well breathing independently, off ventilation for 4 hrs (just back on). His sodium overcorrected; intake adjustments are being made. The next physical challenge he faces is getting his stomach active so he can get a feeding tube. He remains in a coma, but we are hopeful that he'll wake up someday. The doctors want him to rest and hold off on visitors tonight. Kari reads EVERY post. This has given him strength.