July 4, 2016 marked the one year anniversary of the near fatal drowning of our son Devlin Maloney. When his story was last told, Devlin was a patient in rehab unit at CHOP in Philadelphia. We weren’t sure what was possible for Devlin when he entered the rehab on July 20 after 16 days in the PICU and neurology units.
Devlin’s body was way different than that of the Lawrence Little League All -Star baseball player who had caught a few innings for his team on July 1, the day of his 8th birthday. Devlin’s therapist had us set goals those first days in therapy to see what we hoped for him to accomplish during his recovery. We of course wanted him to be able to eat and speak again, walk and be self-sufficient with his ADLs (activities of daily living).
What transpired over the next few weeks was at first slow then became amazing. The team of doctors and therapists repeatedly extended his stay at the rehab because Devlin continued to show improvement in his daily therapies and he exceeded any and every goal set for him during his stay there. Devlin was discharged on Nov. 4, 2016 and he walked from the door of the hospital to our car to come home with us.
Since then, Devlin has continued on his recovery journey. A few days after coming home, the Lawrence Township Public School District started implementing a well-developed plan to get Devlin back full time at Ben Franklin Elementary with his twin brother Keegan. At the start of 2016, Devlin was attending full-time and was able to graduate with his class in June. This school year Devlin is attending Lawrence Intermediate and receives a lot of great support from the team there. Devlin was recognized as a VIP (Very Important Pupil) for the first marking period in his class.
Over the course of the past year, our family has had the pleasure of seeing the wonderful people who rescued and resuscitated Devlin on July 4 be recognized for their actions. We attended the Slackwood Volunteer Fire Company’s Installation Dinner with them in February and the FMBA Firemen’s awards banquet in March, as well as several others. It is the quality of the CPR they provided that has enabled Devlin to have the incredible recovery he has had.
Our family has been blessed to have the support of family, friends and community in Lawrence. The Lawrence community takes care of each other and our family is proud to be a part of it. Lawrence Little League recognized Devlin at the opening day ceremony last spring and on the outfield fence hangs a Devlin Strong banner.
One special opportunity arranged for Devlin this year was another visit with Jeff Francoeur, former Phillies outfielder, who had seen Devlin at CHOP. When the Braves played the Phillies in July, Devlin was invited to meet Jeff on the field at Citizens Bank Park. Devlin loved showing Jeff the Lawrence Little League cap Jeff had signed for Devlin at the first visit that Devlin still continues to wear. In November, Devlin’s story was part of those told during the 98.1 WOGL Loves Our Kids Chop telethon that raises money each year for the hospital. We were fortunate to be able to give a $5,000 donation to CHOP from my employer for hours I volunteered in the Lawrence Community.
We embraced the mantra seen and heard at CHOP, “Hope lives here” and carry that in our hearts not only for our family but for all families who face challenges. Devlin and our family have a lot to be appreciative of and say thanks for and we want all the people who are part of our lives to know that is exactly how we feel. We are still #DevlinStrong.
