Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 25, 1990 TAG: 9005250581
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: PORTLAND, ORE. LENGTH: Medium
The Trail Blazers overcame a 22-point deficit to beat the Phoenix Suns 108-107 Wednesday night in Portland for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series for the Western Conference championship. Game 3 is scheduled for tonight in Phoenix.
For the first time since a car accident left him with head injuries in December, Ramos left the hospital. He got into a car and was driven around the block by his father.
"When he got into the car, he smiled, waved to his mother, and said goodbye," Ramon Ramos Sr. said.
The drive may have been short, but it was symbolic of the long distance he has come since Dec. 16, when his car struck an icy patch on Interstate 5 and flipped several times.
Ramos, a 22-year-old rookie forward, was signed as a free agent after he helped Seton Hall reach the final game of the NCAA Tournament in 1989.
For more than two months after the accident, Ramos was comatose. After he began to show progress, he was transferred to the Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, where he has undergone daily physical and speech therapy. Wednesday afternoon, Ramos was helped to a chair at the end of a ping pong table and a paddle was placed in his right hand.
Physical therapist Patty Kimber lofted a ball in a soft arc toward Ramos at the other end of the table. Ramos hit the ball back.
Ramos' father and mother, Iluminada, smiled as proudly as if they'd just seen their son hit the winning jump shot in an NBA championship game.
"I see progress every day," the elder Ramos said. "He's speaking better and better each day, speaking in both English and Spanish. He feels he is back home in Puerto Rico now."
Young Ramos is able to help some with his personal care, brushing his teeth and combing his hair, said medical center spokesmanChuck Williams. And recently, Williams said, Ramos has been able to say a few words and write some words and short sentences.
"When his college coach at Seton Hall, P.J. Carlesimo, visited, he very plainly said `P.J.,' " Williams said. "And during a Blazer game on TV, when they showed a closeup of Mark Bryant shooting a free throw,he clearly said `Mark.' "
Trail Blazer pennants and banners, and a basketball autographed by team members decorate Ramos' hospital room. "Everybody with the Blazers, everybody in Portland has been so good to us," Ramos' father said.
Dr. Franklin Wong, who is in charge of Ramos' rehabilitation, says there's no question Ramos is improving. "He is now eating enough food that we have been able to take out the feeding tube," he said. "He is now making attempts to speak and to write. . . . Sometimes it is appropriate and very accurate, and at other times it is not appropriate and shows confusion. But it is all very encouraging."
"I am very happy," the elder Ramos says, "and so grateful. Ramon is getting better every day. I think maybe he can leave the hospital and go to the apartment in a couple of weeks. I want for that step. Ramon is very strong and he is very young. Maybe he can play basketball again. I hope for that."
by CNB