Please Help This Beautiful Family

 Please read "Ryan's Story" recent update below. They are truly beautiful people inside and out. They are my family and your family. ...................................................... I've been trying to make a post about my sickness, why I've been in the hospital all week, for a while now and I'm still having trouble talking about it. Let me tell you about my favorite animal, the jellyfish, and it may help to get me there. I like jellyfish. Most people barely consider the jellyfish an animal let alone one worthy of admiration. . but I like jellyfish. It's true, they don't have a brain or hardly any organs at all. They float mindlessly, eat mindlessly, exist without a thought, just a strange, pulsating spirit that catches the light as they drift by. When you first become aware that something is wrong with your heart, you better understand the beauty of the jellyfish. The heart beats, floats in the chest without a thought. How I wish sometimes to be that perfectly beating, beautiful creature, guided only by the god-like will of the mighty ocean. I wish my heart didn't struggle and skip and race and fail. My heart is failing. It's taken a decade, but it's stretched and weakened over time to now. It's time for a new chapter. I'm being evaluated for a heart transplant, something that takes time and risk, bureaucracy and testing. I don't know what the future will bring, but I guarantee you I will never give up. I want to live terribly, not only because of my own lust for life but because I also want to be there for my wife, my son, my family for as long as God will let me. Kristin is the moon in my dark night sky and Hugo is a million twinkling stars of possibility. It's not up to me, whatever happens, but you can bet I will be doing everything in my power to give myself the best odds. I will not miss an appointment or dose of medication. I will follow every doctor's orders to the letter. I love you all. Dearly. One of the few real abilities I've been gifted is choosing wonderful friends and one of the great gifts I've been given is a wonderful family. Thank you all for your help, love, and continued support. Help and support my family too, as this will not be easy for any of us. I love you, I love you, I love you. Ps I will also need people to help me laugh at stupid stuff and play games and talk nonsense. Don't be afraid to call me if you are scared. These things heal my soul too <3