April 17, 2024
Dear Friends and H4H supporters,
We wanted to share a little about what Patrick has been up to these past few weeks. Patrick continues with therapy at Magee Riverfront and is focused on Occupational goals to continue to push and make the most of his abilities. He also spends considerable time in the Magee wellness gym where he uses the various adapted gym equipment to work on strength and conditioning. Their “standing frame” allows him to stand fully supported giving his body the much needed opportunity to weight bear and stretch. He also uses their “stim bike” which provides electrical stimulation to his legs while engaged in pedaling keeping his muscles activated. He uses both of these pieces of equipment at the gym but having this equipment at the house would allow for easy access and more frequent use; so we are actively researching options for obtaining this equipment for Patrick’s daily use at home. Unfortunately we are learning that insurance coverage of such valuable (and expensive) equipment is unlikely. Patrick’s absolute favorite piece of equipment is the “Lokomat”- a robotic walking system that allows Patrick to walk on a treadmill with about 50 percent weight bearing. He started to use the lokomat weekly since mid-January and it’s amazing to watch him in it. This machine is a “pay per use” piece of equipment , so we are grateful for the generous support of our community each time he walks on this!
He continues to enjoy furthering his art and music expression which began to blossom while at Magee Hospital. He finds this expression to be therapeutic and a good diversion; so much so that he is taking a college course on art therapy! His final exam is painting a ceiling tile to be placed in the ceiling at Magee. This art course is one of 2 courses he is currently taking through Penn State world campus and he’s enrolled in more courses for this summer and this fall.
He also loves staying connected with his friends using his adaptive PlayStation system. This system offers a modified controller that he is able to use with his limited hand /arm function and it gives him the ability to play soccer and baseball with all his friends! The purchasing of this system was made possible through the generosity of our community.
Patrick bravely pushes onward,continuing to learn how to adapt, overcome and become as independent at possible. This weekend we celebrated how hard he has worked with a weekend trip to Happy Valley visiting his friends and seeing his campus again. We used every bit of knowledge and strength we have gained these past 8 months to make this weekend trip happen. And the reward was lots of laughs and lots of love filled the days!! We remain grateful for each day and for all our incredible friends.
With our love and thanks,
The Hoeys
February 9, 2024
Dearest Friends and H4H supporters,
We apologize for going so long since our last update, but that is because there has been so much going on to keep us moving forward - we haven’t had much chance to slow down (nor do I think we will) or share. I will begin this update as I do most, and pretty much the same way I greet folks asking how Patrick is doing, simply put, he is doing everything he can. He continues to work hard in the gym on PT, OT, the wellness center and Art program at Magee Riverfront making the most of what he can do, always with such a positive attitude. A recent big development was to start using a device called a locomat, which is essentially a harness and electronic frame system that produces a walking motion on a treadmill. There are several key benefits to this and we hope this helps stimulate his recovery. Patrick continues to emerge as an ambassador for those with SCI and was invited to speak at a Magee fundraising event and on behalf of the Adam Taliaferro Foundation (a former PSU football player with a SCI). I have attached a video link where Patrick thanks the foundation for their support of him and you can see him on the locomat. m.facebook.com
He continues to engage with more activities including: meals out, movies with friends, and family activities, Christmas with his cousins, hitting “Yuletide” at Devon on New Years eve among other things. Patrick turned 21 on Jan 18th and we were so glad to celebrate his “first beer” with a great group of friends and family. He has also started using an adaptive Playstation (paid for by HHL giving) which has allowed greater connectivity to his college friends who are away at school. Lastly, but certainly not least he has started taking courses on-line at Penn State World campus as he begins to navigate a path forward to continuing his education.
The HHL events have been a fantastic opportunity to see and thank his wonderful supporters in person. In particular the Turkey Trot and Top Golf events were hugely successful (a record for the trot), so much fun and gave us a chance to see and thank all of the wonderful people that have been supporting us on this journey, such generosity in so many ways. We just can’t thank everyone enough. We are grateful to all of the H4H supporters and particularly the amazing organizing committee of friends who dedicate so much energy into helping support Patrick’s needs enabling a future of healing and health.
The outpouring of support continues to amaze us and we are so grateful!
With our love and thanks.
The Hoeys
November 10, 2023
Dearest Friends,
What a wonderful whirlwind of a month it has been! On October 5th, we happily welcomed Patrick home from Magee hospital! He was able come home in our van, use the new ramps to enter our home, use his newly remodeled space and wheelchair accessible bathroom and enjoy eating meals together (the meals that many of you have provided for the past 3 months). We wanted to post a note to recognize how you all helped to make this possible and to thank you for all the wonderful things you have been doing for Patrick. The football game, cornhole tournament (a fantastic “welcome home”) and Handle’s Ice Cream event were all a huge success! Thank you to all of the selfless organizers and enthusiastic participants. We are continually amazed by the generous gifts to the Help Hope Live Mid-Atlantic Catastrophic injury fund-specifically for Patrick’s benefit. Because of your generosity we were recently able to purchase our wheelchair converted van from Mobility Works. This van has been modified to accommodate the needs of power wheelchair users like Patrick and includes changing the frame/body, adding a power ramp and interior modifications to make it safe to travel. Upon coming home, Patrick began his therapy at the Magee Riverfront day-rehab program. This amazing program is daily from 10-3:30, which means daily round trips in our van to south Philly. With Diane taking a leave from her job at Beaumont Elementary, she is able to drive him and stay with him each day to learn everything she can from his therapists. At Magee Riverfront he continues to make progress on strengthening his upper body and learning how to adapt and gain independence. He uses an electric stimulation bike (and other stimulation equipment) to send signals through his spinal cord to hopefully improve the connection past his injury. He continues to be optimistic; because, he knows like Winston Churchill said “attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference”. His determination hasn’t wavered and we are so proud of his daily efforts. We have also been able to use the van to get out and about, including MD appointments, visits to Valley Forge Park and even a dinner out at Nifty Fifties in Newtown Square. Having reliable, wheelchair safe transportation is such a blessing and we are so grateful that you all have made it happen for us!
We feel so loved and supported by our wonderful community, you have all been so kind and very generous to us. It is honestly overwhelming and we cannot begin to truly express our appreciation, but please know how deeply in our hearts we feel it.
Sorry for the delay in this update but as you can tell Patrick is working very hard and keeping very busy and we are right there with him!
With our love and gratitude,
The Hoeys
September 25, 2023
Dear Friends,
It has been a while since we had a chance to update you on Patrick’s progress and we are glad to share some recent good news. He continues his intensive rehab (PT, OT, Art, Recreational) therapy program at Magee trying to maximize his time there. In addition to therapy, has been attending a number of educational sessions to learn more about spinal cord injury and how to manage. As you can imagine, he is pretty exhausted by the time the evening rolls around. Now that he has been at Magee for a while he has gotten to know most of the staff and some of the patients and is very socially engaged. We have been able to get there every day and are learning as much as we can about his needs and care so we are prepared when he comes home.
A couple of big events happened over the past week that we wanted to share. Firstly, Patrick was able to permanently take off his hard plastic cervical collar, which he has had to wear continuously since his injury about 8 weeks ago. This has been a tremendous relief of his neck itching (scratchy beard), improved his quality of sleep and overall comfort, not to mention the fact he can actually look around the room better. Over the past couple weeks he has become adept at operating his power wheelchair, so much in fact that he was able to go on his “road trip” to Reading terminal market with his Occupational Therapist, Rex therapist and Diane. This is a very important milestone as patients prepare to engage with the world outside of Magee with their new means of mobility. In classic fashion, Patrick sought out 2 dozen amazing donuts which he shared with the staff allowing them to choose a favorite.
Possibly the most amazing accomplishment was Patrick’s getting into an upright position today at the gym using electrical stimulation of his muscles and the support of the therapy team! He was even able to give Diane a hug while he was up. This is so remarkable because Patrick does not yet have any movement/muscle control below his chest. This offers hope he may regain enough function to stand in the future with support, and the important goal of being vertical for a number of physiologic reasons.
As some of you may know, spinal cord injuries (and recovery) are unpredictable and it will be a long time before we know what his ultimate level of recovery will be. One thing we are certain of is Patrick’s steadfast determination, his contagious optimism and hope for the future. He is so appreciative of the of the love and kindness he has been shown through cards, texts, calls and visits (including good food and treats) and he wants us to share how grateful he is (as are we as a family).
It has been wonderful to see some of you at the recent Hope4Hoey events.
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for all the love and support we feel.
Patrick and the Hoeys.
September 11, 2023
Dear Friends,
Today Patrick starts his 5th week at Magee. We are so inspired by his determination in the face of his challenges. At home, we are undergoing construction to modify our first floor to accommodate an ADA bathroom and living space for Patrick when he returns home in a couple weeks. He will to continue to reach for his goals through intensive PT and OT at the Magee day rehab program once he is discharged from the hospital. For now, due to his quadriplegia, he will continue to use a power wheelchair. Having reliable wheelchair appropriate transportation to drive him to his therapy will be vital. An accessible van is a very costly proposition and a major gap for us and we are exploring what options we may have including support through Hope Help Live.
We are continually blessed by the love and support we feel from you all. Thank you!
The Hoey Family
#HOPE4HOEY
September 6, 2023
It’s GAME Day in Happy Valley! Thanks for the words of encouragement Coach! And thank you to the Penn State community for your continued prayers and support! Please See updated link in bio! Let’s GO PSU!!!
August 29, 2023
August 28, 2023:
Dear Friends,
It is hard to describe how profound an impact Patrick’s injury has had on him and our family. He has shown remarkable determination and continues to work very hard at Magee to regain what function he can. We are taking it one day at a time and focused on the positives. He is hopeful, as are we.
We want to thank you all for your kind words, well wishes, prayers and generous support of his go fund me campaign. The love, support and kindness we have received from our friend community has been amazing and we are so very grateful!
We will be continuing to plan for Patrick’s long term care needs by working with Help Hope Live a non-profit organization that helps spinal cord injury patients with medical needs.
Thank you for all you have done and continue to do.
Sincerely and gratefully,
The Hoey family
#Hope4Hoey
August 21, 2023
August 16, 2023
Straight From the Hoeys;
Dear Friends, Patrick has now been at Magee for over a week and he is working super hard to achieve his rehab goals. In addition to his daily PT and OT sessions he also participated in introductory music and motion therapy. We are so grateful for the prayers, well wishes and generous support we have received as a family. As Diane says “it is the wind beneath our wings”. Hope4Hoey
August 11, 2023
Patrick is four days in at Magee and we are so thankful to have him close to home. The team has been outstanding as they have immediately started on his aggressive road to recovery. Despite the circumstances, Patrick is strong willed and determined. He is up for the challenge. He finds great solace knowing people pray for him and have him in their thoughts. And it is always refreshing to see friends and family! Thank you so much for the support, we need it right now. God bless you for the generous donations and the words of support, they go a long way. Hope4Hoey.
August 9, 2023
Always a great day when you can see some friends! Jonah Abramson, Drew Lamonica, Andrew Mason, Shane Mahoney and their boy Patrick Hoey! From the Hoey Family - thank you, thank you for the prayers, the kind words and your generous donations.
August 7, 2023
A great day today as Patrick safely arrived at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital via ambulance transport. And of course you know it, Diane was with him the whole time. God Bless you Patrick and the Hoey Family! Hope4Hoey
