Support this fundraiser
Support Ryan’s Recovery and His Family During This Critical Time
On November 15, 2025, Ryan was with two of his life-long friends at a popular overlook by the Mississippi when he slipped and fell. What happened next became a serious, life-altering emergency.
Ryan suffered multiple injuries — including spinal and head fractures, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and significant head trauma. Because of where he landed, the rescue team could only reach him by boat, and we are profoundly grateful for his friends’ quick action and that the rescue team was able to get to him when they did. On the way to the hospital, Ryan went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance but was revived and rushed into emergency surgery.
Over the next 24 hours, he underwent two hours-long brain surgeries back-to-back — the first to remove blood clots, and the second, a craniectomy, to relieve life-threatening brain swelling.
Ryan remains in critical condition, and the weeks and months ahead will continue to be unpredictable and challenging.
Where Things Stand Now
Ryan has severe head trauma and remains in a condition where every hour brings new hurdles. Doctors have been honest: injuries like this take well over a year before anyone can begin to understand what his long-term recovery may look like. Only time will show what is possible.
Who Ryan Is
Ryan had just started his freshman year at the University of Minnesota, studying business and entrepreneurship. He’s always been the kid dreaming up ideas and talking about the businesses he wanted to build.
Now, his long-term abilities — including whether he will ever be able to work the way he imagined — are unknown.
A major part of this fundraiser is about giving Ryan a financial foundation for his future.
Why the Family Needs Support
No family is prepared — emotionally or financially — for something like this. Your support will help in two essential ways.
Immediate Costs
- Hotel stays near the hospital for Jason, Jen, Nora and Avery
- Daily hospital parking and meals
- Basic necessities while living between home and he hospital
Long-Term Needs
- A year+ healing and rehabilitation journey
- Therapies and specialists not fully covered by insurance
- Adaptive equipment depending on mobility and neurological recovery
- Home adjustments, outpatient care, and long-term medical needs
- Ryan's loss of income — now and potentially far into the future — as they navigate a completely changed reality
- The profound emotional and logistical strain this places on the entire family
Every donation matters. Every share widens the circle of support. Every prayer is felt. And every act of kindness lightens a load far too heavy for one family to carry alone.
Stay Connected
The family is sharing ongoing updates on Ryan's CaringBridge . Please follow there for the most accurate, real-time information as Ryan continues to fight.
Thank You
Thank you for rallying around Ryan — for praying for him, supporting our family, sharing his story, and helping build a foundation for whatever comes next. Your generosity and love mean more than you know.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jason Zimmerman
Beneficiary