Was perusing Twitter, and noticed that Dyrell Roberts is now the Wide Receivers Coach at ASA College in New York City:
Hello Brooklyn, Back To Work. #ASA #AvengersFootball pic.twitter.com/2Ae3Rb3RuQ— Dyrell Roberts (@Dyrell_Roberts) April 7, 2015
I also noticed that he has a young son born with a rare condition, known as "Moebius Syndrome". He has some nerves that aren't formed, preventing him from breathing on his own, as well as preventing him from moving his mouth (can't suck), eyes, blinking, smiling or frowning. There is a go-fund-me to help with medical expenses and several moving pictures of Dyrell and DJ (Dyrell Jr.) on his twitter:
...My Life, My Heart, My World, My Everything... pic.twitter.com/4zgSSPvxWD— Dyrell Roberts (@Dyrell_Roberts) April 3, 2015
When You'll Have Time Please Read A Little About My Little Man's Story!!! Thank You All!!! http://t.co/3YMAcajJPM pic.twitter.com/drVYARUICT— Dyrell Roberts (@Dyrell_Roberts) March 25, 2015
Comments
Seriously. Time to fund the hell out of this!
+100. Funded. Be strong little man.
Man, looking at those pics makes me emotional. As a father, watching your child in an incubator with feeding tubes and IVs and monitors going every which way is a terribly helpless and stressful feeling. Not to mention the stress of simply spending your days in an NICU. My daughter was just born way early, my wife was preeclampitc. She didn't have anything wrong with her as serious as this, this is just heartbreaking.
I encourage anybody who feels compelled to donate to do so. Like it says, they have insurance, so did we. The out of pocket max was still quite a bill to land in your lap on top of all the money you spend with a newborn in the house. I really really hope everything works out for them.
I know the feeling. I had all 3 of my kids in the NICU. My twins were preemies and just needed to get a little bigger. But my oldest was very touch and go for a while. We weren't sure about him making it though, but he is now 6 and getting terrorized by his brother and sister.
God bless NICU's and the Roberts Family.
I will just leave these little gems here:
http://youtu.be/xJx17nVZs7g
http://youtu.be/jYKykFPQOfA
http://youtu.be/DpghNqKozz0
Seriously praying for this young man. It breaks my heart. No worse feeling than seeing your child struggle with something that you have absolutely no control over and no power to stop.
Donated. Let's get his back Hokie Nation.
I can tell you first-hand what facial paralysis is like. I had total facial paralysis on one side for almost a year, and still have it to a moderate degree. The inability to close the eye means the eye must constantly be covered with protective lubricant. It's like looking through Vaseline. Failure to protect the eye can result in painful erosion of the cornea, and can cause blindness. Just last week I had surgery on the affected eyelid, to try to restore a normal blink and further protect my cornea. The inability to move the mouth means difficulty in speaking, chewing, and swallowing. This can be helped immensely through speech therapy, but it is costly. Damage to cranial nerve VIII means deafness that cannot be alleviated by hearing aids or implants. These are just some of the issues that this child and his family face. They will likely meet out of pocket maximum every year, plus incur costs not covered by insurance, such as travel expenses to specialists. And yet, this child can expect to live a fairly normal life, provided he receives the care he needs. Please consider helping this little guy, and thank you for taking the time to read this.
Staring down the barrel of layoffs, but I donated. Little girl was 5 weeks premature, and while she had no complications, NICU was mandatory.
Amazing work they do in those units. Amazing people.