Dear Supporters:
For the first time in
seventeen years the NPPA is momentarily setting aside its core mission to honor
the memory and sacrifice of Special Agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams and dismantling
the perpetuation of lies, fabrications, myth and folklore of convicted murderer
Leonard Peltier.
Jack and Ron, looking down
and watching over us, will certainly understand.
With the promise of an
exciting and productive life of new adventures and challenges, life-altering
events can occur unexpectedly.
On April 8, 2017, nineteen-year-old
6’7” freshman and scholarship basketball player at Wright State University,
Dayton, Ohio, RYAN CUSTER’s life changed in an instant.
Ryan and many other college
students were celebrating Spring at a party in Oxford, Ohio. A makeshift pool of
tarp and hay bales was part of the afternoon’s activities. Ryan flopped into
the pool and accidently bumped his head on another student’s knee. In a million
times a minor incident like this would have resulted in some bumps and bruises,
but for this one time, tragedy struck and Ryan fractured a vertebra, injuring his
spinal cord. He was airlifted to a Cincinnati hospital for surgery and
evaluation. Paralysis was evident. Two weeks later Ryan was transported to a
Chicago clinic and was one of a handful of patients to participate in a
pioneering stem cell procedure injecting millions of stem cells into the
injured area of his spinal cord. Ryan will remain in Chicago to undergo weeks
of intensive physical therapy.
Ryan’s father, George, was
an FBI Agent in the late 1980s serving his first office in Cincinnati. He was
an effective and professional new agent, learning quickly and enjoying the
challenges of his new profession.
George met Kim, a well-liked
FBI support employee since 1984. Over time, the relationship blossomed into
marriage.
As is expected in the
Bureau, transfers to larger offices were always a possibility. George and Kim
decided they wanted to stay in the Cincinnati area and George left the Bureau
to start his own successful business.
The Custer family eventually
grew with two daughters and two sons.
To be clear and
unmistakable, the Custer family is incredibly wonderful, salt-of-the-earth
people, admired and respected by all who know them.
Ryan faces a long, demanding
journey to recovery and only time will tell how much he will recover from his
injury.
NPPA supporters can follow
Ryan’s progress on Facebook.*
Such a devastating injury,
although largely covered by insurance, brings with it many additional
out-of-pocket expenses which prompted Ryan’s teammates to create a fundraiser
to help ensure that he has the care he needs and expert guidance to assist in
his journey, hopefully to a full recovery.**
The prayers and thoughts of
all the supporters of the No Parole Peltier Association are with Ryan and his
wonderful family.
“In the Spirit of Coler and
Williams”
Ed Woods
