Posted: 06/11/2014 at 2:47pm | IP Logged

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS) -- Tuesday, June 19, 2001, was the worst day in the lives of veteran American entertainer Pat Boone and his wife, Shirley, for it was then that they received the shocking news that their eldest grandson, Ryan Corbin, then 25 years old, had fallen through a skylight on the roof of the condo where he was living in Southern California, and came extremely close to losing his life.

Pat and Shirley Boone with their 'miracle' grandson, Ryan Corbin (Photo: Dan Wooding)

His skull was crushed as he fell three floors to a cement floor below. Many thought Ryan would never awaken from the deep coma of his mind. Then, if he did, there was the dreaded fear that he would survive at best in a vegetative state.

But then, the ASSIST News Service, and many other media outlets and individuals, including veteran TV host, Larry King, launched prayer campaigns for Ryan, whose mother is Lindy Boone Michaels, one of the four Boone daughters, and slowly but surely he has been making an astonishing recovery, and on Sunday, June 1, 2014, he was able to join his famous grandparents at a special event in Beverly Hill, California, to celebrate Pat Boone’s 80th birthday.

Larry King pictured during the birthday roast for Pat Boone

In fact Larry King was on hand to be one of the main “hosters and roasters” for the “Pat Boone 80th Birthday Celebrity Roast” at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in honor of Ryan’s Reach, named after Ryan Corbin, who was in attendance.

The proceeds from the evening's celebration will enable Ryan's Reach to continue caring for those they serve, as well as addressing long term goals of establishing a group home for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) survivors. (To learn more about Ryan's Reach, please go to www.ryansreach.com.)

“He’s living proof that miracles do occur,” said Pat during our chat on the Red Carpet. “Now this is a progressive miracle especially as on the night he was wounded, the doctors didn’t think he would live.”

I asked Pat why he agreed to be “roasted” by so many of his Hollywood friends, and he replied, “The family wanted to do this to raise money for Ryan’s Reach. We have already had a golf tournament [for which he wore a kilt], a 5k to 10k run, but still I told them they didn’t understand that I was not anxious to advertise the fact that I’m 80, saying, ‘Why would I do that?’

“Secondly I was aware that experts, professionals, would have trouble pulling something like this together. So I questioned why they thought they could do something like this. I was afraid that it would be a disaster and they would spin their wheels. I know a lot of entertainers, and they know me, and we have a good repartee, but the family pressed on and thought they’d all come running. In fact it just occurred to me that I need to make up a lot of excuses for those who are not here, such as Jay Leno, Don Rickles, Jamie Foxx, Billy Crystal, and all of them. But there are a number of great people who are here who are going to roast me so I’m ready.”

Jon Voight, one of the celebrities there to honor Pat Boone (Photo: Dan Wooding)

The guests included Jon Voight, Shirley Jones, Rich Little, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., Lou Ferrigno, Rosey Grier, Peter Marshall, Susan Stafford, and double Oscar winner and composer, Al Kasha and his wife, Ceil.

I pointed out, however, that their most important guest was Ryan Corbin himself, and I asked Pat and Shirley Boone, who was wearing a large badge with Ryan’s picture on it, what it meant to them that their grandson had come to the event.

“Gratitude to God,” said Shirley.

Then Pat went on to say, “It means everything to us and it gives us the hope and the courage to do something like this for other people because the Bible says ‘comfort one another with the comfort with which you have been comforted in your affliction.’ We have been afflicted through Ryan’s injury, but God has comforted us. He is bringing Ryan back. We know he can now do it for others and that’s the purpose.”

Shirley Boone with her badge featuring a picture of Ryan Corbin (Photo: Dan Wooding)

Shirley cut in saying, “It’s now our chance for us to give back.”

I pointed out to Pat and Shirley, that many years ago, they had been ex-communicated from the Inglewood Church of Christ, because of a new-found belief in miracles, and had joined Church on the Way in Van Nuys, pastored by Jack Hayford, who stood by him on the Red Carpet, and here they were now celebrating a true “miracle” in the life of Ryan Corbin.

“I was taught at the Church of Christ, not to believe in miracles, but here we have Ryan, who is living proof that miracles do occur.”

Shirley then recounted the time when she first learned of Ryan’s shocking injuries. “They told me that that he would not live through the night, but I heard this, I had a strong impression that God was saying, ‘He will live and not die.’ We found out later that this was from Psalm 118, which says that ‘he will live and not die and declare the glory of God’ and that’s what he’s doing right now.

“The thing is that I had no fear; no anxiety. I had this peace come over me and I just knew that word from the Lord was truth.”

The quintessential 1950s clean-cut, milk-and-cookies singer, Pat Boone, who once lived next door to British wild rocker, Ozzy Osbourne, in Beverly Hills, shared that along with Shirley, they spent many hours at Ryan’s bedside as he struggled for his life, and it was then that several friends, including myself, helped to launch a prayer campaign for Ryan. So I asked him why Larry King had invited him on the show to talk about the situation and get people to pray for his grandson.

Ryan Corbin on the Red Carpet (Photo: Dan Wooding)

“He’s Jewish and he’s an agnostic, but he knows we’re praying people and he wanted to know if we would like to have people to pray for Ryan,” said Pat, as Larry King stood just a few feet away from him. “I think sensed that might make a big difference, not just to us, but to Ryan and Ryan is recovering beautifully, not completely yet, but he will. And we want him to stand in front of Larry and say to him, ‘Larry, I know the Jew requires a sign, and I’m your sign.’”

With that Pat and Shirley were off into the main ballroom of the hotel, and enjoyed a fascinating evening of joy with their many friends, some of whom poked fun at him, but deep down, showed their deep respect for this icon of American show business, and his deep faith in Jesus Christ.

Source: Assist News Service