Former WWE cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang is on a mission to help create a special memory for a very unfortunate young man in Cincinnati, OH. Seth Dryer was a sophomore at Deer Park High School when he came down with an extremely rare and relatively unknown virus called AFM.
Affecting the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord, the disease causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to weaken. Seth spent over a year in the hospital before he was able to return home. He survived, but the virus did severe damage to his body.
For quite a while, the only way Seth could communicate was by lifting his eyebrows. He could not move in any other way. His mind was fully functioning, but he was trapped in a paralyzed body. Over the last several weeks, Seth has regained some movement in his legs and feet, as well as his left hand. He is still bound to a wheelchair and cannot eat or speak.
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Seth continues to undergo physical therapy twice a week, and just recently his family was gifted a wheel chair accessible van so they can take him out. This past December the Deer Park Community rallied around Seth's family to help out with the financial burden as their home simply didn't have the means to accommodate all of his medical needs.
A Go Fund Me page was set up to help them meet their $150,000 goal for renovations on their home, and they are closing in on that goal.
Jimmy Yang has called Cincinnati home for several years now, and saw Seth's story on the local news. His tragic story has inspired the former WWE star to try and bring some joy to the teen's life. In addition to raising awareness about Seth and his story, Jimmy is trying to arrange a meeting with one of the stars of the Food Network. Seth apparently spends a lot of his time watching cooking and food TV shows, especially "Restaurant Impossible". Jimmy reached out to me to share his video below, in hopes of getting the attention of the show's host Robert Irvine.
Irvine will be making a stop in the Cincinnati area May 2nd. He's hosting a cooking show at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN.
Jimmy Yang would really like your help spreading the word, and see if we can't help get Seth there to meet Robert and give him the memory of a lifetime. You can Tweet at Robert Irvine here.