Ryan was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was 6 weeks old after being hospitalized for failure to thrive. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that causes progressive lung damage, persistent infections and eventually respiratory failure. He has had countless hospitalizations over the years since his diagnosis and does multiple daily treatments to delay the inevitable loss of lung function. Despite the toll his disease takes on him, he has always been the first person to offer a helping hand.

The time has come where Ryan needs a double lung transplant and he now requires your help. His deepest wish is to live to see his little 3 year old daughter grow up and continue to make memories with his wife. There is no cure for CF, but a lung transplant can extend a patient’s life and improve their health. Ryan’s lung capacity is currently hovering around 20% and due to the nature of CF, it will continue to decline.

Ryan is preparing for double lung transplant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). There are many costs not covered by insurance as well as lifelong expenses related to transplant (including follow up care and multiple prescriptions). Ryan’s family have partnered with COTA to help raise funds in Ryan’s honor to help assist with transplant-related expenses.

Please consider how you can help, and share our mission with others. Through your love and support we can all help Ryan breathe just a little bit easier. Thank you for all the phone calls, texts, and positive thoughts while we head down this journey with Ryan.

The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant 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 our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.