Westmoreland had a follow-up MRI the other day for his second op and it came back clean (per his own tweet). Great news for him.
mt8thsw9th said:The MRI can come back clean, but the odds of him coming back from one of these malformations are extremely slim, especially in a sport in which hand eye coordination is so key. Anecdotal, sure, but my younger brother went through surgeries and radiation for a malformation at MGH, and while his MRIs are clean, he still has speech problems and issues with motor skills. He's facing some incredible odds, so the more power to him if he's able to overcome them.
Wonderful article. The Sox should have him throw out the first ball for game 6.LogansDad said:http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63382680/
Ryan Westmoreland: Beard wearing Red Sox fan.
Sounds like he is doing as well as can be expected, and he is now working towards a degree. Hopefully the rest of his life is long and happy.
Thanks for this, great story.LogansDad said:http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63382680/
Ryan Westmoreland: Beard wearing Red Sox fan.
Sounds like he is doing as well as can be expected, and he is now working towards a degree. Hopefully the rest of his life is long and happy.
ItOnceWasMyLife said:http://www.boston.com/sports/blogs/ondeck/2014/01/westmoreland_humbled_by_spinners_honor.html
Spinners to retire his number.
keninten said:I`ve been wondering what has happened with Ryan. Anyone know anything?
keninten said:Does the "through" mean he`s not attending but maybe online.
"Now he is just learning to adjust to life as a regular kid, taking courses through Northeastern University while he ponders his next move in the baseball."
Ryan Westmoreland stood near the mound and watched as his father, Ron, threw a perfect strike for the ceremonial first pitch Wednesday night at LeLacheur Park.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder as the fans gave them a standing ovation.
It’s been tough for Westmoreland to forget about baseball. Since he’s decided to retire, he’s focused on the future but admits sometimes it’s unavoidable to think about what could have been.
“I can’t help but think about it, especially doing stuff here in Lowell,” Westmoreland said. “I think about at-bats I had here, games I had here. But for the most part, I’ve moved on. I don’t get two hours of sleep every night thinking about my games here.
“It hasn’t been an easy battle, but I’m doing well and I’m trying to keep my spirits up. It’s obviously tough not playing anymore. I’ve spent my whole life preparing for this dream, so it’s devastating to not fulfill it. But I’m doing well. I’m happy and I’m in a good spot mentally. It’s all I can ask for right now and I’m getting better every day mentally and physically and it can only get better from here.”
He admits he’ll watch a video of him playing baseball and think about the what-ifs.
“Mentally, I’m getting over it. I can’t say I’m fully over it but I’m getting there,” he said.
From a health standpoint, Westmoreland is doing well. He lives with disabilities but he’s learned to live with them and nothing is getting worse. Something Westmoreland has kept to himself since his second surgery is the fact that he experiences double vision.
“I haven’t told anyone, but I see double of everything. I can’t feel anything on my right side, so you can imagine how hard it is to walk when you can’t feel the ground, or hitting with a bat or throwing. But I’m doing well,” he said. “Obviously, at first it was tragic. It was devastating but I’ve gotten over it and I’m doing well. I’ve certainly gotten used to everything that I’m dealing with. I’m just trying to get better every day.”
Westmoreland explained the double vision is a normal side effect to the surgeries he’s had. It occurred after his first procedure but his vision returned to normal after three days. This time around, he’s still waiting for it to correct itself.
“I’m getting used to it,” he said. “I have special [glasses]. I can drive, I can do all that stuff, so it’s not holding me back too much. It’s different. I can’t pick up the spin on a 90 mile-per-hour slider but it’s getting better.”
After he decided to officially retire in March 2013, Westmoreland started online classes at Northeastern University. His primary focus now is getting good grades.
“I’m moving forward with my life, not so much baseball related, but I’m trying to take steps forward,” he said. “I feel good. Right now I feel like I’m getting the ball rolling with my life and we’ll see what the future holds, but I’m optimistic.”
At some point, Westmoreland would like to return to baseball in some capacity because he believes he can teach and serve as an inspiration to others.
When I saw this thread pop up afetr so long I experienced a sense of dread, afraid I was going to come here and learn some more tragic news in this kid's life.PaulinMyrBch said:https://twitter.com/RWesty25/status/553631693912145921
Click the insta link, still got some pop.
67WasBest said:When I saw this thread pop up afetr so long I experienced a sense of dread, afraid I was going to come here and learn some more tragic news in this kid's life.
Kind of made my night to see the positive report. Still has a quick bat, and I hope that demonstration means he has made great strides toward a more normal existence.