DURHAM, N.C. - On July 5, Ryan McDermott, the youngest of four, was at his home in West Hempstead, N.Y. when his phone rang.

He answered. On the other end of the phone was Jack, a friend of his older brother Kevin.

Kevin was in Hampton Bays, Long Island, visiting friends after having graduated from Duke as an All-America runner just a few months earlier. 

Jack told Ryan to put his mom on the phone.

"I knew right away something bad happened because you could just tell in his voice," Ryan said.

The news that followed devastated the family.

Something went wrong when Kevin dove into the swimming pool at a friend's house. He was not coming back to the surface, and after a few moments his friends realized something was terribly wrong and dove in after him. They pulled him out of the pool, stabilized his neck and called 911.

Kevin could not move.

He was flown immediately to Stony Brook Hospital. His family raced to meet Kevin at the hospital.

Ryan recalls seeing Kevin lying in the hospital bed unable to move any part of his body.

The results from the X-rays were not good. Kevin had suffered a C5 cervical spinal cord injury.

"Whenever you hear C you know it's not a good thing," Ryan said. "We were really upset. Kevin was really upset. To see your brother, two days earlier we played golf together, and now he can't move, you start to think about the future. He is not going to be able to do this, he is not going to be able to do that, he is not going to be able to be independent."

For seven years Kevin McDermott was a caddie at Cherry Valley and Garden City Country Club, carrying the golf bags and helping other players during their rounds.

Now people will trek around the course for Kevin.

Sean, the second-oldest sibling and oldest of the three McDermott boys, has organized a golf outing at the course Kevin once caddied at to help raise money for his continued medical and rehabilitation care.

The Caring for Kevin Golf Event will be held on Oct. 26. Those looking to sign up for the event, which will feature an auction to some of the most prestigious golf courses, such as Shinnecock Hill Golf Club and Winged Foot Golf Club and tickets to the Duke-North Carolina game, can do so by going to www.kevinmcdermott.org.

Sean, who lives in New York and works at a financial firm, set up the website so friends, family and people who just want to help, can go and send wishes, get updates on Kevin's condition and donate money to The Kevin McDermott Trust.

"Anything would really help us," Ryan said. "Even just a prayer for Kevin would be appreciated greatly."

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All three of the McDermott boys chose Duke. Only their older sister Erin did not attend Duke, instead choosing the University of Virginia.

It began with Sean, who grew up a Duke fan. Kevin followed after making several trips to visit Sean and then taking an official visit. Not too long after, Ryan made Duke his home away from home.

All three brothers loved competing against each other growing up, each attempting to break the others' records, whether they were set on the track or in the driveway or the backyard.

"We all played the same sports," Ryan said. "We all played soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming and Kevin was always on Sean's team, and then when I was old enough I was always on Kevin's team. Me and Kevin were really close, but we were all really close. We always played backyard basketball."

Kevin, an extremely gifted athlete, excelled in youth sports such as baseball, basketball, roller hockey and golf. But like his older brother Sean, found his true niche at Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., in cross country and track, excelling in the steeplechase.

All three brothers committed to running during their freshman year of high school.

It was Kevin's leadership that helped lead Ryan to the track instead of giving soccer a try.

"I always looked up to him because as a junior in high school everyone looked up to him because he was the best runner on the team," Ryan said. "Senior year too, everyone looked up to him, not just the whole team but the entire league and state. He was one of the best. I was just glad I could be running with the best and have him as my brother."

He set numerous records during his high school running career, was a New York State Champion in the steeplechase, and ran at the Pan American games for the U.S. Junior Olympic team.

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On July 6, Kevin underwent his first surgery.

At 5:00 p.m. the same evening Kevin moved his arm.

"We were so happy," Ryan said. "If he can move his arms right now, then there is a chance he can get through this."

Two days later on July 8, Kevin had a second surgery. This time a metal rod was put in his neck to help with further stabilization.

Things stayed the same for the next several weeks. Family and friends poured into his hospital room each day to show their support for Kevin during his physical therapy.

"He never stopped working," Andrew O'Connell, who worked with Kevin as a caddie, said. "I have never seen him back away from anything during therapy."

It started small. After several weeks of therapy Kevin was able to stabilize himself in bed for a few seconds.

Then another encouraging moment happened in early August.

"He moved his right thumb," Ryan said. "My dad was there. My sister, my mom and me were all driving to the rehab center. We got the call in the car, and we all just went nuts."

Then, after receiving his brother's blessing, Ryan returned back to Duke to start his junior year. While in class, he received a phone call from his dad. At first all he could hear was his mom and sister screaming in the background. He then heard from his dad that Kevin had moved his legs. He was making enormous strides.

"The doctor at the rehab center said, 'that in his 13 years of practicing with paralyzed people he had never seen anyone with this type of injury progress so fast'," Ryan said. "All the kudos go to Kevin because he is just so tough."

Initially the doctors said Kevin had a two percent chance of ever moving his legs again.

Now he can stand.

"They pretty much didn't give him any chance, but we said, 'Well why can't Kevin be part of that two percent? Someone has to be in it then why not him'," Ryan said.

"He is doing really well right now. He has still got a long way, but we just want him to be independent. We are pretty optimistic that he will be."

Recently, Kevin was able to compete in the Burke Wheelchair games. He was able to use a manual wheelchair in the race, the only competitor with a cervical cord injury to use a manual chair. He completed the 100 meters and followed that feat by throwing a softball eight feet.

"His work ethic has been amazing," O'Connell said. "There are not many better people in the world than Kevin McDermott."

The continued support of family and friends will help him overcome his injury.

For updates on Kevin's condition, please visit www.kevinmcdermott.org.