Help Ryan Overcome Rare Brain Damage

This GoFundMe is dedicated to helping Ryan Hawkins with medical bills and alleviating financial stress while he recovers in an intensive physical therapy rehabilitation program.

Many of Ryan’s friends know him from his time as a store manager at Starbucks in Eustis, where he spent over seven years building his career. During that time, Ryan worked tirelessly, earning the admiration of his team and customers.

In early January, Ryan began experiencing alarming symptoms: blurred vision, severe migraines, and nausea. One day, he collapsed, crashing to the floor. Rushed to the Hospital Ryan was diagnosed with hyponatremia, a life-threatening condition where his sodium levels were so dangerously low that his doctors were left speechless that he was still alive.

Ryan spent 12 days in the ICU, where his medical team worked tirelessly to stabilize his sodium levels—a process that carries rare but serious risks. Shortly after his discharge, however, new and concerning symptoms appeared. When Ryan returned to the hospital, he was admitted quickly, where testing revealed that he had developed brain damage as a rare complication of his condition. This is also known as Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM), this is a neurological condition that happens in the pons area of your brain. In CPM, a rapid increase of sodium to correct low sodium levels (hyponatremia) damages nerve cells. This damage has severely impacted his speech, mobility, and eyesight, leaving Ryan and his family facing an uphill battle.

The journey ahead will undoubtedly be difficult—both physically and mentally—but Ryan, his family, and his medical team are approaching every step with positivity and unwavering hope.

As part of his recovery, Ryan will undergo months of intensive inpatient therapy to regain his strength, mobility, and abilities. Despite everything, Ryan remains the funny, witty, and loving person we all know and adore.

We are reaching out to ask for your help in supporting Ryan on this journey. The cost of testing, specialists, and rehabilitation, even with medical insurance, it is creating an overwhelming financial burden, and we want Ryan to be able to focus on healing—not on mounting medical bills.

If you are able to contribute, no matter the amount, it would mean the world to Ryan and his family. For those unable to donate monetarily, your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement are deeply appreciated.

Thank you for standing by Ryan during this challenging time. Your support means more than words can express.