Get Ryker to Boston
Ryker is an amazing little boy whose parents, Shawna and Ryan, love him dearly. They live an incredibly hard medical life that doesn't stop or let up, ever. Please find it in your heart to donate--any amount will hopefully help them to get to keep seeing their specialists in Boston.
Ryker was born with Gastroschisis* (where his intestines grew outside of his body) and had to have an emergency surgery to save what they could of the intestines. As fate would deal, Ryker's intestines were mostly dead and he was left with roughly 7 inches of living intestinal tissue. This upgraded his condition to "Short Gut" which is a life threatening condition. He is 100% dependent on tube feeds and is hooked up to machines for more than half of his life. Through all this, through his parents' determination and fighting the medical systems, this boy has lived and thrives through every procedure and test and hospital stay. And he smiles! He smiles through the pain and laughs despite his condition.
Shawna, Ryker's mother has become an expert on his care. She leads a life that is centered around taking care of her son 24/7. Hooking up tubes, sterilizing everything, filling bags, draining his stomach, changing diapers (SO.MANY.DIAPERS.), monitoring his temperature, ER trips, hospital stays, resetting the pumps, making sure he doesn't get tangled in cords, and making sure that he still has a fun childhood and knows that he's loved.
His mother has found an amazing team of doctors who have helped keep him ALIVE these past years. They have the knowledge and resources to treat him that other hospitals simply don't have. Ryker's condition is complex. This team of doctors is located at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). Oklahoma has previously agreed to pay the fees for BCH, but recently Oklahoma and BCH cannot agree on finances. What this means for Ryker and his family is that he was dropped from insured care at Boston. Oklahoma is wanting to send him to a hospital that frankly is not equipped to handle his care.
Your donations will go directly toward Ryker's medical care. As of the date of the start of this campaign, next week's Boston appoint is his LAST. We cannot let this boy not get the care he NEEDS to survive.
*Gastroschisis occurs in less than .05% of the born population with no known cause. Outcomes from Gastroschisis resulting in complex care is less than 50% of that .05%. Ryker's particular outcome and condition is extremely rare, and this means that the proper care team is extremely difficult. BCH has one of the longest standing intestinal rehab programs and literally "write the book" on Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) care.
