Cory

"Cory's Story"

On April 9, 2001, Cory Ryan had a birthday and is now seven years old. Last fall, my granddaughter, Morgan, first shared "Cory's Story" with me. She spoke of this little boy with blond hair and blue eyes who went to her school and described him as being handicapped. "Meema, he is so cute and sweet and I am always kind to him," she said in her soft, angelic-like voice. I learned more about Cory from my friend and committee member, Barbara Lawrence, and finally was introduced to Cory's mother and father, Susie and Bobby Ryan, at our benefit. Beth Cavendish informed me of the family's plans to take Cory to Key Largo, Florida for "dolphin therapy". When he was only four months old, Cory was diagnosed with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC), a very rare disorder in which the bands of nerves that join the two hemispheres of the brain do not form during the prenatal period and never grow back. Fewer than one-tenth of one percent of children are born with ACC, and unfortunately, the disorder has no medical treatment. But this did not discourage Cory's parents. They were determined to find help for Cory and have always kept hope alive in their hearts. They were told about a program at "Island Dolphin Care" in Key Largo, Florida, when Cory was three years old. It was explained to them that dolphins possess a built-in sonar that is able to detect anything unusual about an individual's internal structures, such as a deformed bone or artificial heart valve. As a result, the dolphins are drawn to such abnormalities. Encouraged by other success stories, Susie and Bobby enrolled Cory in these classes in order for him to be a part of this human-dolphin therapy. A wonderful and miraculous change took place on Cory's second day of therapy with a dolphin named "Squirt". Cory Ryan began to speak for the very first time in his life. He surprisingly blurted out the word "water". During this same week, Cory said "boat", "thank you", and his brother's name, "Cody". But the biggest and best surprise of all happened in the car after Cory's final dolphin therapy. Susie was feeding Cory a cheeseburger when all of a sudden he looked at her and said, "Momma". Susie will remember this moment as long as she lives. Dolphin therapy is very expensive. The course itself costs $4000.00. The Ryan family needed some financial assistance to be certain that Cory could attend again in June, 2001.So, this family became our project for the month of April. I bought a 6 foot blow-up dolphin at "Toys R Us". It looked just like the pictures of "Squirt" and I knew Cory could ride on it in the pool. I attached the check and a letter to the family to a balloon bouquet and headed to the Ryan's home. My granddaughter, Morgan, and Barbara Lawrence joined me. When we arrived, this cute, little blond-headed, blue-eyed boy with a smile as big as the moon, was looking out the window. As soon as we entered the home, Cory jumped up and down and laughed and wanted to ride on the "dolphin". He was so excited that he kissed and hugged all three of us one time after another. Drew and Cody, Cory's brothers were thrilled to see Cory so elated, as were Susie and Bobby. When Susie opened the envelope, saw the check and began to read the letter, tears welled up in her eyes and she was overcome with emotion. She handed the letter to her son, Drew, to finish reading aloud and all of us cried together. This was an incredibly emotional evening full of love, hope, joy, and happiness. We all are praying for continued successes for Cory as his classes begin on June 18, 2001 at the "Island Dolphin Care" in Key Largo, Florida. We are proud to be a part of this beautiful journey. The Ryan family's faith, love, dedication, and perseverance is an inspiration to me and all who know and love them.