Updates on Robbie

March 25th,2004

The benefit was a success! In all, over $20,000 dollars was raised!

Thank you all for your generosity!

August 25th, 2004

Robbie will be traveling to Chicago to be tested for a new nasal stem cell transplant procedure. Good Luck Robbie!

September 4th, 2004

Going away party to be held for Rob on Crestwood Drive. All friends are invited! Let Robbie know that your there for him!


September 5th, 2004

The party went off without a hitch! Many friends & family were there. Robbie was not really hungry, but that didn't dampen his spirit. We all enjoyed the day.

For all the party pictures, click here

December 23rd, 2004

Robbie will be celebrating his first Christmas since his devastating accident. Wish him a Merry Christmas and a great and promising 2005!

March, 2005

Robbie has had his first operation to remove excess bone on his hips. I have not spoken to him or his Mom but know that God is watching over him.

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From Robbie:

Here it is 14 months after the car accident in which I
suffered a spinal cord injury.

I continue to make progress. I have a daily exercise
regime and I am steadily regaining my strength.

I am determined to achieve my ultimate goal of
walking again.

How is this possible? Faith, determination and adult
stem cell surgery!

In order to reach my goal, I must first have surgery
on my hips, (one in March and the other in April
2005). Then in July 2005, I will be undergoing adult
stem cell surgery in Lisbon, Portugal.

My goal of walking is within reach!

To help me with my goal I am asking my friends,
family, neighbors, businesses, anyone and everyone
for support.

Please make a donation to the Rob MacNeal
Fundraiser. This fund was set up to help defray the
costs of surgery and rehabilitation, as well as the
costs associated with my treatment and care on the
road to recovery.

Thank you for your support!
Rob
 

Rob MacNeal, a 2003 graduate of Upper Darby High School and a member of this year's freshman class at Neumann College in Aston, was involved in a tragic automobile accident December 14th, 2003. Rob suffered numerous severe injuries and has a long road to recovery ahead of him. Rob has been in the intensive care unit at Thomas Jefferson University and recently was transferred to Moss Rehabilitation in North Philly.
Rob and his family live in Westbrook Park. To help defray extensive medical bills and the cost of rehabilitation, the Ruberti family is organizing a Beef & Beer that will be held Sunday, March 14th, 2004 at Caroline's Restaurant & Banquet Facilities, 925 Providence Road, Secane Pennsylvania.

Tickets will be $25.00 per person in advance and $30.00 at the door. There will be drawings and prizes and the event will feature food, beverages, and DJ entertainment which is being provided by the J.M.W. Entertainment Group.

We are reaching out to businesses in the area, our friends, and our neighbors for support. For more information, to make contributions, or to donate prizes to be used for the drawings at the Beef & Beer, please contact Deirdre' or Donna Ruberti at (610) 623-7902 or contact fran@totallydelco.com

Story from the News of Delaware County

By Joe McAllister , CORRESPONDENT 03/11/2004

(link)

Upper Darby High School (UDHS), with just about 4,000 students, is a big high school by any standards. But when tragedy befalls one of its own, the student body, faculty, alumnae and surrounding community take it personally and come together as one large extended family.

That's the feeling behind the benefit for Rob MacNeal, a 2003 Upper Darby graduate who was seriously injured in an automobile accident last December. The outgoing Drexel Hill teenager remains hospitalized in his struggle to regain movement in his body. Hopes are running high among his colleagues at Upper Darby High School for recovery, but hospital bills are mounting as well.

The school is sponsoring a benefit dance to help a fellow Royal out from 7:30 until 10:45 p.m. Friday, March 12. It is open only to current students and faculty as well as Class of 2003 members. And in the true spirit of the high school, the response to the event is really starting to gain momentum.

"It's huge at this point and we're excited," says Heather King, math teacher and Class of 2006 adviser. "We are asking for donations, not monetary, but in the form of gifts to raffle off. The response from area businesses and the community has been great."

King says MacNeal was one of the first students she met when she started at the high school five years ago. "I felt very close to Rob the first day," she says. "He became an instant friend."

The robust young man, who introduced himself as the "Italian Stallion," was well liked by his fellow students and faculty members. "Sometimes he would just poke his head inside my classroom - just to say 'Hi!,'" says King.

Gracious, friendly and hardworking are words used to describe Rob MacNeal. High school teacher Christine Kelley taught MacNeal for two years and remembers his bright, playful personality.

"He always put a smile on my face, and the people of Upper Darby will not forget his shining personality and wonderful attitude," she says.

Deirdre Ruberti, MacNeal's girlfriend and Upper Darby High School Class of 2003 graduate, visits him often at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia.

She says the teenager is making steady progress.

"He's talking this week, and he smiles real big," says the 18-year-old Clifton Heights resident. "Every day he's doing more and more. I think he's going to be a miracle."

According to Ruberti, MacNeal was a passenger in his own Ford Explorer driven by a fellow Neumann College student. The two were on their way to a college student business meeting when the vehicle slid out of control on Rt. 295 south of the Walt Whitman Bridge in the late afternoon of December 14.

Both men were thrown from the vehicle when it landed between two trees.

The driver was treated for injuries and released. MacNeal was in critical condition at the scene of the accident.

MacNeal underwent 11 hours of spinal surgery and remained semi-comatose until a couple of weeks ago.

A friend and one of several benefit organizers, Lauren Fetterolf, an Upper Darby senior, visited MacNeal at Jefferson Hospital where he spent over 10 weeks.

"He was able to move his arms and head. He can talk, but, at that time, he was in too much pain to talk," Fetterolf, 17, recalls.

King, Kelley, Fetterolf and senior Steve Juisti are all involved in MacNeal's fundraiser.

"I just knew I had to do something to help him and his family. I thought it was a good idea to have a dance," Fetterolf says.

Even those who were not touched by MacNeal as a student, have been touched by the response to his personal tragedy.

"The main purpose is to raise money to relieve the medical burden on the family," says Juisti, 17, of Drexel Hill. "Kids who don't know Rob are helping out because it's a good cause. The best comes out in times like these."

Response from area businesses and sports teams is generating a lot of interest in the items to be raffled off the fund-raiser. King says an account has already been set up in the MacNeal family name.

A basketball autographed by the entire undefeated St. Joe's basketball team (a duplicate is being sent to MacNeal), signed Flyers jerseys, autographed Eagles pictures and over 150 other items will be offered as prizes. Area food venders are donating food to the benefit.

As of press time, a Fender Stratocaster guitar autographed by rocker Jon Bon Jovi, owner of the Philadelphia Soul arena football team, was donated to the benefit.

Upper Darby High School is no stranger to tragedy this year. Two student fatalities (a skiing accident and a meningitis case) have already hit the school hard.

"We take care of our kids. We know, love and care about them," says King.

"When people need help, we're there. The way a school survives is to be strong and pull together."

To contribute in any way to the Friends and Family Benefit, call Heather King or Christine Kelley at 610-622-7000. Tickets ($5.00) will be available at the door. This benefit is open only to Upper Darby High School students, faculty and the Class of 2003 members.

A Beef 'n' Beer benefit for Rob MacNeal will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 14, at Caroline's Restaurant, 925 Providence Road in Secane. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Contact Deirdre Ruberti at 610-623-7902.

©News of Delaware County 2004