Avalon, NJ – In a heartfelt reunion, 10-year-old Ryan visited EMT John Schlechtweg of the Avalon Rescue Squad on Tuesday, August 22. The meeting brought back memories of a near-tragic event that occurred more than eight years ago.
On June 26, 2014, when Ryan was just eighteen months old, he fell from a second-story window in Avalon to the concrete below, sustaining life-threatening head injuries. Avalon Rescue Squad, including EMTs John Schlechtweg and Rick Dean, swiftly treated Ryan at the scene. The young boy was then transported to the 10th Street baseball field and airlifted, along with his father, to Cooper University Trauma Center in Camden, NJ.
After an intense eight-day hospital stay, Ryan was discharged without any lasting effects from the incident.
The visit to the Avalon Rescue Squad station was organized after Ryan’s parents shared the story with him, including the critical roles played by AtlantiCare Paramedics, University MedEvac 4 (now JeffSTAT 4), Avalon NJ Police Department, and the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department. The event served as a touching reminder of the impact and importance of first responders in the community.