Our Heartbreaking Loss

Janurary 11, 2012 Richard E. McGinty (Richard D. McGinty's father) checked into Memorial Hermann South East Hospital to have a quick and easy heart stent placement. However, during the procedure Richard E. suffered from a massive heart attack causing his arteries to collapse. After multiple attempts, the surgeon and his team were unable to revive him. Richard E. McGinty passed at 10:54am.

Many of you may have known Richard E. by Dick, Butch, Mac, etc... I knew him as Grandpa. My artistic inspiration. My history paper editor. My librarian. My beer loving, football watching companion. My one and only grandfather. My friend. This news has come as a complete shock to all of us, as I am sure it did to all of you as well. Richard was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, friend, and co-worker. He was a great person to be around as his spirits were always high and he always had a smile on his face or was humming a tune. He was so very patient and passionate about the things he loved; his music, his poetry, and his family. He was known to break out in song at any given moment... what a beautiful sound that was. Richard brought much joy to all of us and he will be greatly missed every day that passes.

Richard E. McGinty Obituary

The Celtic Chorus of Houston is organizing a Memorial Wake for Richard E. McGinty, that will also serve as a fundraiser for Richard D McGinty. Everyone is encouraged to come out. Griff's Pub is always a good time!!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Sorry for the delay in updates as life was very busy for us all over the holidays. Here is a day by day summary of how far Richard's progress has come.

Thursday December 15 Richard was transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann, Rehabilitation Center.

Friday December 16 Richard was evaluated by PT, OT, and speech therapists at TIRR to gain a better understanding of his condition and what actions were needed to be taken in order to get him functioning at our goal of 100%.  

Saturday December 17 Richard did really great in physical therapy (PT). He sat up and transferred from his wheel chair to an elevated mat with assistance. However, when he got back to his room had some respiratory problems and had to be transferred to Memorial Hermann ER where he was diagnosed with Aspiration Pneumonia and admitted to MICU for antibiotics and breathing treatments.

Thursday December 22 After a few days of treatment Richard was successfully  transferred back to TIRR rehabilitation center to continue his recovery.





Saturday  December 24 Merry Chirstmas Eve! The whole family went to TIRR today to visit with Richard. A few of us stopped at Starbuck's on the way to TIRR and brought our coffee into his room. Richard kept moving his mouth as if trying to tell us something but we couldn't quite make it out. We eventually asked him to write down what he was trying to tell us... Turns out all he wanted was a little coffee ;) He is definitely aware of his surroundings and not missing a beat!

 

Sunday December 25 Merry Christmas! We all visited at different times during Christmas Day so as not to exhaust Richard. Richard opened his presents but the greatest gift he received was a visit from Brody! This would be the first time Richard has seen Brody since before the accident on October 24th. What excitement and joy in Richard's eyes and Brody's too.

Monday December 26 Richard got a hair cut and shave today. It was a group effort by all his favorite ladies.  Also, big step today... his PT had him stand several times for a short period each time.

Tuesday December 27 Brody went to see Grandpa again today.  Great Grandma and Brody played kick ball while Grandpa was doing his leg exercises.  Great Fun for both of these guys!

Wednesday December 28 Lucky for Richard, he had lots of visitors today. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful team of supporters. He feels the love and is so happy to see everyone!

Thursday December 29 Today Richard had a swallowing test. He is still unable to tolerate even thickened liquids but can tolerate liquids such as water. However he was putting in some BIG orders for for Wendy's: Single hamburger w/cheese, small chilli w/cheese, hamburger and small frosty. So needy haha!

He spent some time sitting up in wheelchair out in the hallway, interacting with the staff.  Later Richard went to OT where they adjusted the headrest of his wheelchair and changed the left arm rest to better support his left arm which is still very weak. The OT made a splint for the left hand to keep it stable.

Friday December 30 Richard's youngest daughter Megan, and "pretend daughter" Catlin and his mother went to PT with Richard. They had him walk with assistance supporting his left leg and his head.  One small step for man, one GIANT leap for Richard :) What a great day!

Saturday December 31 With all his practice and hard work, Richard can nearly transfer from wheelchair to bed by himself.  He is needing minimal assistance!

Sunday January 1, 2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR! What better to begin the new year than a day spent with family. Richard sat up in the wheelchair and took a trip outside to meet all of us.  We all enjoyed the Sunshine for a while but it was hard on Richard's eyes. Looks like we will need to get some sun glasses soon.  He spent the rest of his afternoon watching part of a movie on his new DVD player that Santa brought him.

Richard would love to see any and all of his supporters. He is in room# 608 at TIRR Memorial Hermann in the Medical Center. Visiting hours are from 9am-9pm.

We hope all is well with you and your families going into this new year and are all still so very grateful to have you in our lives. MAY GOD BLESS YOU!

Thursday, December 15

Only wonderful things to report today. Richard is continuing to amaze us and his doctors with his continuing progress everyday! He has been evaluated and accepted for transfer to The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital, in the Medical Center. He will move there this afternoon. TIRR treats people with a range of disabilities from complex conditions like brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple trauma and amputation, to rehabilitation for conditions including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, post-polio syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus (http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/tirr/).

When we receive more information on his room number, rehab schedule, and visiting hours we will update you all.

Below is the link for directions and parking information so you may plan your visit:

http://www.memorialhermann.org/locations/tirr/directions.aspx

Richard's Recovery Benefit

Staurday, December 10, 2011 was an extremely successful day of fundraising for Richard's recovery. I could not have dreamed up a better turnout than we experienced. The benefit was held at South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena, TX. We had a basketball tournament, silent auction, raffle, and BBQ.

The basketball tournament was fun for all who played and those who watched. We had 9 teams that participated... Big Richard, The Closers, The Bulls, Team TWSCO, Average Joes, The Celtics, Shot Collin, The Rockets. and The Heat. They played 20 minute games, full court, double elimination. The first game began at 9am and the final game ended around 4pm. Big Richard took first place in the tournament. Each player on the winning team received a $25 gift card to Academy. BIG Thank you to all of the teams for your time, participation, support and for providing the entertainment! Also, a big thanks to all the families who came out to support their teams. And an extra special thanks to our #1 referee and long time family friend, Tommy Lyons and also Mr. Mike. Thank you gentleman for giving up your day to help us out.  

Aside from the basketball tournament the silent auctions and raffles were also very successful. Many people took home a great prize, or two. We had a wide variety of items donated to the cause. To name a few; a wagon full of toys, everything irish, a few movie bundles, grilling basket, Texan's!, sports photos, laser hair removal and facials, Gringo's/ Bullritos/ Jimmy Changa gift basket, Everything Caffeine with starbucks gift card, wreaths, handmade scarves with bath & body works goodies, etc. We also raffled off two original Ducks Unlimited signed and numbered prints. Congrats to John Bogar and Jason Webster, two well-deserving people as they have been big supporters in all of this. Thank you both!  And Thank you to all who donated items.

In the midst of all the business inside the Family Life Center, the Knights of Columbus Co. 803 were busy selling BBQ plates in the parking lot. The plates were sold for $8 and included brisket, sausage, potato salad, beans, and all the fixins. Special thanks to Carl Stoncipher for taking care of all of that for us. You were such a great help!

We are so happy to annouce that we were able to raise nearly $4,500 in one day to put towards Richard's medical expenses. We will never be able to repay you all for the support you have given us. Words cannot express how grateful we are to have you all in our lives. On Sunday, middle daughter, Ashley told Richard how well the benefit went and how much we were able to raise. He responded with a big "thumbs up"! We know that he too is so grateful for all of you and what you are doing for our family.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

South Belt Leader-Ellington Houston Newspaper

We made headlines :) Follow the link to see our Benefit advertised in this week's issue of the South Belt Leader-Ellington Houston Newspaper

http://www.southbeltleader.com/Leader12-8-11.pdf

Donations

We have had many people so generously asking how they can donate to, or help with Richard's recovery. To make this easy for you all we have set up a savings account at Wells Fargo Bank. The account is named "Donation to Richard McGinty" and the account number is 5919061191. Cash or check deposits can be made at any Wells Fargo location or to anyone in the McGinty family. Checks may be made payable to: Donation to Richard McGinty. All money raised at the benefit (team entry fees, silent auction, and bbq plates) will be deposited in this account as well. All proceeds will go toward Richard's medical bills and our family's out of town expenses the first weeks of Richard's recovery spent in Nacogdoches (hotel and food expenses).

‎Gulf Coast Tool & Rental values family, and are committed to helping families in desperate situations. Gulf Coast Tool & Rental will match all $10 donations to the “Donations to Richard McGinty” fund at Wells Fargo Bank under account number 5919061191. Please make checks payable to “Donation to Richard McGinty,” and then let them know that you’ve donated by posting on their Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/ggctr).

Don’t forget to post on their Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/ggctr) so they’ll know to match your donation!!!

We want to thank you all so very much for your continued support. It is making the process much easier on our family; emotionally, spiritually, and financially.

Visitors

For those who plan to visit Richard... he has been moved again to the 5th floor Room# 521

Sunday, December 4

Incredible updates to share since the last post!! Today was an amazing day for Richard, as he is really beginning to come back to us. Although he is still unable to speak, we believe he fully understands what is going on. He recognizes all of us and is trying to interact.

Richard spent a couple of hours sitting up in his Neuro chair in the lounge area today. He likes watching all the people come and go and the nurses hard at work. When his daughter, Ashley got to the hospital he and Molly were sharing a McDonald's soda. Every time Molly would hold up the cup Richard's eyes grew big and he slowly opened his mouth. Molly would give him a couple of drops from the end of the straw... just enough to get his mouth wet. He thoroughly enjoyed every single drop. He is showing a lot of interest in bright colors. The visitor name tags were neon green today... he couldn't take his eyes off of the name tags, maybe a little mesmerized. When his sister, Lisa and youngest daughter, Megan showed up the nurses were putting him back in his bed. Once he was situated back in his room we all joined him there. Being himself, his eyes are constantly fixated on the TV now. He has found the remote to his TV and is very protective over it (naturally!) He is beginning to grasp things and using his thumb a lot. He is holding onto his remote and squeezing our hands when we ask him to. When his mom and dad, Sidney and Richard E. arrived tonight Richard slightly held his hand up to shake his father's hand and it looked as if he mouthed the word "Momma." Happy tears for all of us. The Jelly bean trick continues to work as well. We flattened out a jelly bean and told Richard to stick out his tounge. He did, everytime. We would rub the jellybeans against his tounge and then tell him to close his mouth so he could taste it, and he did, everytime. When we asked if he wanted more he would tap his foot against the bed.  Obviously he is missing his sweets :)

Such great relief seeing him make these amazing advancements in his recovery. Everyday he gives us more reason to have hope. Richard is a man on a mission and he'll continue to fight. We couldn't be any more proud.

We hope to see you all- new and old friends, family, and strangers at Richard's benefit on Saturday December 10 from 9am-5pm. If you need more information please leave a comment and I will respond as soon as possible.

Good Day

Today Richard is very responsive. He is answering yes and no questions by tapping his right foot. He gave us a thumbs up a few times, and is able to focus on objects in his room as well as people. Still baby steps but headed in the right direction.

BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION FORM

If you are interested in entering a team in the basketball tournament benefit on December 10th please contact me, Ashley and I will e-mail you the registration form. We will then make an appointment for you to turn in your team's entry fee and form. This should be completed and turned in by Wednesday, December 7th.

Contact: Ashley McGinty
E-mail: a_mcginty927@hotmail.com
Phone: 713-876-6051