Late in the evening on July 13, 2006, as Ryan was walking to his brother's house, he was brutally attacked and stabbed in the heart by two cowardly thugs in an apparent robbery attempt. They fled, leaving him to die. When I think of him laying on the sidewalk, bleeding to death, it just tears me apart. It was so cold and senseless.
His brother Randy called 911 and searched for him. A short time later, Ryan was noticed by a group of young people across the street and they called the police. He was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, only about 3 blocks away.
When we arrived at the hospital that night, we were told that Ryan was being given transfusions because he had lost so much blood and that we could see him once he was stabilized. A short time later we learned that the situation was far more serious than they had anticipated and that he would require emergency surgery.
The rest of the night is somewhat of a blur to me due to the stress and trauma of the situation, but I do think they told us that he had stopped breathing at least once and that he may have been without oxygen too long. It was at that point that I remember praying to God to either make him whole or take him. Cardiac surgeons attempted to repair his heart, but despite their efforts, Ryan was quickly gone from us.
We never got to see him or say goodbye before he died. We never got to say "I love you." that one last time. His little girl will never be able to hug him again or sit in his lap.
After Ryan's death, his friends made a memorial in chalk on the concrete wall next to the sidewalk where he was found that night. They held candlelight vigils and shed many tears. The words were eventually removed from the wall by the city, but I took a number of pictures, some of which are below. Like our family, his friends want his killers to be brought to justice.
I know our pain is no worse than that of any family that has lost a child, but it still hurts down to the core of our souls. We need some sense of closure and that can never happen as long as his attackers are still free to rob and kill other innocent victims.
Sooner or later, those who took Ryan's life and destroyed the lives of his family and friends will experience the kind of pain we deal with. The same goes for those who are protecting them. If they think otherwise, they are only fooling themselves.
His brother Randy called 911 and searched for him. A short time later, Ryan was noticed by a group of young people across the street and they called the police. He was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, only about 3 blocks away.
When we arrived at the hospital that night, we were told that Ryan was being given transfusions because he had lost so much blood and that we could see him once he was stabilized. A short time later we learned that the situation was far more serious than they had anticipated and that he would require emergency surgery.
The rest of the night is somewhat of a blur to me due to the stress and trauma of the situation, but I do think they told us that he had stopped breathing at least once and that he may have been without oxygen too long. It was at that point that I remember praying to God to either make him whole or take him. Cardiac surgeons attempted to repair his heart, but despite their efforts, Ryan was quickly gone from us.
We never got to see him or say goodbye before he died. We never got to say "I love you." that one last time. His little girl will never be able to hug him again or sit in his lap.
After Ryan's death, his friends made a memorial in chalk on the concrete wall next to the sidewalk where he was found that night. They held candlelight vigils and shed many tears. The words were eventually removed from the wall by the city, but I took a number of pictures, some of which are below. Like our family, his friends want his killers to be brought to justice.
I know our pain is no worse than that of any family that has lost a child, but it still hurts down to the core of our souls. We need some sense of closure and that can never happen as long as his attackers are still free to rob and kill other innocent victims.
Sooner or later, those who took Ryan's life and destroyed the lives of his family and friends will experience the kind of pain we deal with. The same goes for those who are protecting them. If they think otherwise, they are only fooling themselves.
