Rylands Journey is unique to say the least. Born June 2nd, 2023, 5lbs 5oz she was immediately loved and spent the first two days bonding with her parents and meeting family and friends. She passed her 24 hr check up with flying colors but unfortunately on the day she was supposed to be discharged, the doctors detected a heart murmur. Ryland was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome- Mitral Stenosis/ Aortic Atresia (HLHS MS/AA). As parents we were not only hit with the surprise of “it’s a girl,” but now a surprise that is usually caught in utero. Our lives were turned upside down and on June 10th Ryland took her first flight from Dallas to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas where she has been ever since. At 7 months old, Ryland has gone through 5 open heart surgeries and received the gift of a heart in September. Unfortunately, there is still a long road ahead for Ryland as additional health complications occur. Currently, Ryland’s pulmonary veins have required additional surgeries and medical attention to ensure her oxygen flow remains stable from her hearts to her lungs.
We never expected to spend the first 7 months of our daughter’s life in the hospital and there are no words to fully capture just how hard this has been on us and our loved ones. We have lived in Airbnbs and now are residing in Ronald McDonald housing as Ryland continues to receive care. We are so grateful for our support systems from family members coming to provide support, to our friends taking care of our house and cats in Dallas, and to everyone who has donated to help with all of Ryland’s medical costs. These diagnoses will unfortunately require life long treatment for Ryland.
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need life-saving transplants by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of Ryland will help meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our family, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
We appreciate any and all support you can give to help Ryland on this life long journey.