After A Stroke At 34, Community Rallies Behind Jersey Shore Musician

HIGHLANDS, NJ — Life is immensely difficult. What kind of people make it easier? Some would say a good friend. A loved one. A favorite author. A bartender. Their dog.

Or perhaps, a musician. The people who write and play the songs that speak to our pain or make us smile and feel joy.

Now imagine if one of those musicians suddenly fell ill, needed serious medical care and — precisely because they chose a career in the arts — do not have sufficient health insurance.

Such is the story of Riley Schiro, a well-known guitarist on the Jersey Shore live music scene who is currently struggling to recover from the stroke he suffered last spring, at age 34.

And that's why locals are holding a fundraiser for Schiro this Friday night, Jan. 20 at the Chubby Pickle in Highlands.

Schiro is still slowly learning how to walk without assistance and live on his own. Sadly, he cannot play guitar, something he calls "My passion."

Schiro grew up in the River Plaza neighborhood of Middletown, and went to Middletown South High School and Red Bank Regional. He loves music and has played at nearly every live music venue in the area: Asbury Park, Red Bank, Highlands.

"Any live music venue in Monmouth County, I've played there," he laughs. "I was with the Cranston Dean band; we toured up and down the East Coast and toured the country, Chicago, Nashville. It was awesome. Unfortunately, I can no longer play with them. I hope to get back to it in the not-so-distant future."

The stroke occurred on the morning of March 21, 2022. He was alone in his Red Bank apartment:

"It was a Monday morning. All of a sudden I just woke up on the bathroom floor," he recalled. "I realized I must have collapsed. I tried to get myself up and I could not. I was able to reach up to the sink for my phone and called my girlfriend. I told her I could not move my entire left side — my leg or arm —and she determined I was having a stroke."

His quick-thinking girlfriend called 911 and shortly thereafter, paramedics burst through his front door. They rushed him to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was given a time-sensitive clot-busting drug.

"It broke up the clot right away. I think because I got it so quickly is a big reason for why I still have so much of my speech and never lost my ability to swallow."

It was while he was admitted to the hospital that Schiro learned he had been born with a hole in heart, a condition that is the leading cause of stroke in people under 40. (Schiro did not get any of the coronavirus vaccines.) He and his parents also had no idea until then that he had been born with the heart condition.

While at Jersey Shore, he underwent heart surgery. He then spent a month at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, where it was a daily challenge to learn how to walk again and dress himself. When he returned home to his Red Bank apartment this past summer, he realized he still needed around-the-clock care: "Helping me feed myself, dress myself, bathe myself. My walking is still not great. I need a brace to walk. I can't tie my shoes on my own. I can't zip up my own jacket."

Schiro always worked, but always for himself: He owns his own recording studio, is a self-employed music manager, gives guitar lessons to local kids and teens and focuses on traveling and playing with bands.

After four months, his insurance benefits ran out in August.

"I was getting rehab, but they just abruptly told me to stop coming in," he said. "My close friend is an occupational therapist and she gives me therapy at home once a week, for free. And I started going to TheraFit in Middletown, which I pay for out of pocket."

Schiro applied for disability, but was told he did not qualify because he had never been a W2 employee. He had been planning to buy his first home in 2022, the year he had the stroke. "Unfortunately, I've had to tap into that. Thank God I had savings."

The Jersey Shore music community is now rallying behind Schiro:

From 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. this Friday, Jan. 20, the Chubby Pickle in Highlands will host a free show with a stellar live music lineup. Cranston Dean, Daly Rituals, The Mercury Brothers, Patty C & the Pints and Emerson Woolf will come together with the expected sizable turnout and make for an unforgettable night. There will be 50/50 raffles, gift baskets and more.

It's a suggested (not required) $20 donation at the door and Chubby Pickle staff are donating all their tips for that night and the musicians are donating their pay. Local businesses and individuals have donated a ukulele, an Ibanez Les Paul guitar for auction and there will be additional auction products on-site. Sponsors of the evening include Telegraph Hill Records, Twin Lights Brewery, Leonardo Jewelers, Turning Point, Porcini restaurant in Highlands (Schiro's favorite) and more.

"Every penny will go towards providing Riley with the best possible care available — giving him a fighting chance for a full recovery," say organizers. "This was organized by the Chubby Pickle staff, Dan Lee and fellow musicians Cranston Dean and Pat Conley, who saw Riley struggling with ongoing out-of-pocket expenses for occupational therapy. While he has made an amazing recovery, he still has a long way to go."

For additional information, visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/880149529843821

What are Schiro's goals in life?

"I would like to be able to walk more smoothly. And I would like to be able to hike again. That would be really good."

And, of course, to one day get back to playing the guitar.

"I can sort of play with my right hand — kind of. I'm very limited. I'm not nearly what I once was. While I am grateful to be alive, I miss making music.”