Brain Injury Recovery: Do You Believe Ryan Boyd In Magic?

Ryan Boyd, who recovered from a severe brain injury

In 2015, Ryan Boyd was in a tragic accident from falling off a golf cart and hitting his head just the wrong way, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. He was airlifted from the scene to a pediatric acute care hospital in Orlando where he spent two weeks in an induced coma to allow time for his brain to heal. Ryan’s family was devastated.

“The first couple of weeks were tough, we didn’t know if he would be able to walk or talk- or if he would ever be our Ryan again,” said Dawn. “As a parent, you only want the best of the best for your kids, and that’s why we chose Brooks.”

Ryan was transferred to Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in a minimally conscious state and was admitted to the Response Evaluation Program, where his progress was monitored closely for two weeks. His injury was deep in the frontal lobe of his brain, which affected his left side, leaving him weak and unable to walk or talk. Closing in on the end of the evaluation period, Ryan had made little progress and it seemed highly likely that he would have to be transferred back to an acute care hospital because he wasn’t responding to therapy.

Then suddenly, as if by magic, Ryan began to wake up. He started responding to therapy treatments and made significant progress and was graduated to the traditional program three days later. “They really cared and rallied behind Ryan. We loved the continuity of caregivers that made it possible to establish personal relationships. Ryan always says ‘Let’s go back to Brooks!’ They made it fun for him,” Dawn recalls. “Brooks is a place where kids can find their magic again.”

Ryan began working with a teacher twice a week for 3 hours during his stay at Brooks and continued home-bound visits for the remainder of the summer after he was discharged. With the help of his therapists and the School Re-entry Program, Ryan has made an amazing transition back into school and is now on the “A” honor roll. Additionally, he recently received a perfect score on a writing test, a difficult task for most students, his teacher reported.

In 2016, Ryan was one of the three students from Lake County Schools recognized for their character and achievements by the Disney Dreamers and Doers Shining Stars.

Ryan found out he was a Shining Star on the two-year anniversary of suffering a brain injury that left him relearning to walk, talk and perform simple tasks Dawn said. “I just started bawling,” Boyd said. “It’s a day to think about. We were going to spend it low-key. We were so surprised when he got the phone call.” “I was happy because I won,” said Ryan, a fourth-grade student at Groveland Elementary School. “It’s cool.”

While in rehabilitation, he received a bear from Caden Project, an organization that gives Build-A-Bears to children in hospitals. Because of that experience, he wanted to give back. The mother-son team organized an event to build some bears and take them to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the rehabilitation hospital, where he spent more than nine weeks. The fifty bears were distributed at other hospitals as well.

“He delivered a bear to a hospital that had conjoined twins,” Dawn said. “It was awesome,” Ryan said. “I like helping people.”

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