Pamela J DeGour, March 5, 2022 - 12:23 pm

On January 24th, an 11 year old boy was critically burned in a bonfire accident at his home in Mt. Laurel, NJ. His name is Ryan Jastrzembski and he is my nephew. He was initially helicoptered to St. Christopher's hospital in Philadelphia where he miraculously survived the crutial first 48 hours. Due to the severity of his burns, he has since been flown far from home (and his family) to Texas to receive specialized care at Shriners Children's Hospital, where he remains critical. Ryan has shown promising progress and at this point, doctors are hopeful for his survival; however, he has a very long, painful way to go with many, many surgeries. He is expected to remain at the hospital in Texas for a year and half.

I am contacting you now to ask for prayers. Many of Ryan's friends, community and family members are coming together to help support the his family financially by setting up GoFundMe and fundraising benefits. I have appointed myself a prayer recruiter as more than anything Ryan needs prayers right now. I am reaching out to churches nationwide requesting prayers for Ryan's recovery. He needs prayers for strength and perseverance. He needs prayers for effective pain management. He needs prayers for hope and faith. And he needs prayers to keep away all infection as that is a significant dangerous risk.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. If you are interested in learning more about my nephew's tragic accident a simple Google search for Ryan Jastrzembski will bring up a number of news stories. Updates on his progress can be found on Ry Guy's Road to Recovery Facebook blog.

With humble gratitude,

Pamela DeGour