- J
Help Make a Christmas Wish Come True!
Some of you may be fortunate enough to know my uncle, Ryan Tabares. He is a loving husband to his wife, Michelle, and father to their 3-year-old son who is full of life. Ryan and Michelle met in Guam in 1991 and became high school sweethearts. However, they were separated when Ryan moved to California to attend college. Little did they know that twenty-four years later they would cross each other’s paths again. After catching up, they rekindled that spark that had never stopped burning. Soon they were excited to find out that they were having a baby boy. Ryan was excited to show and teach his son, little Ryan, all the things he loves to do such as fishing, cooking and playing sports. Life was perfect; Ryan felt complete and couldn’t be happier.
About 2 years ago Ryan and Michelle were training for a marathon with the big race just around the corner. Then one afternoon when Ryan was about to take Michelle to work, he felt a terrible pain. He quickly set Baby Ryan down before collapsing on the floor. They had no idea that he was experiencing a complete aortic dissection (rupture of the heart’s main blood vessel). They called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to save his life. Before going into surgery Ryan told Michelle, “I don’t know what will happen, but I’m gonna fight. Don’t give up on me. All I ask is you be my eyes, ears and voice.”
Ryan spent over 500 days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries which resulted in further amputation of both of his legs finally to the hip socket. Unfortunately, he can’t sit upright without leaning to one side to maintain his balance. He uses an electric wheelchair and requires supplied oxygen through a tracheostomy to help him breath. His health is vulnerable, posing implications for his functionality and quality of life. All the dreams and wishes he had for him and his family now seem like a far distant reach. Ryan has always taken pride in being able to look after and protect his family. However, with his current situation he no longer has the ability to independently leave his home, and can’t help feeling like he has become a burden, holding back his family. One of Ryan’s goals is to become more independent in a way that he can spend more time with his wife and son. He has also expressed his wishes to “make things easier” for his wife, Michelle, who has to lift him into the car, take apart the wheelchair, and unload the O2 tank when traveling to doctor’s appointments. The difficulty of getting into and out of the car and the discomfort in riding in the car limit his ability to leave the home.
There are amazing advances in healthcare and technology that have the potential to improve Ryan’s quality of life. One of them is the use of an accessible van. With an accessible van, Ryan hopes to alleviate some heavy work from his loving wife, Michelle. However, many of these medical necessities, including the van, are not covered by insurance and can be extremely expensive. Our aim for this campaign is for Ryan and his family to be able to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van. This will open up doors of opportunity and will be a huge help to the family.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a used 2017 Dodge Caravan is approximately $25,500. Conversions to fit Ryan’s needs will cost an additional $25,000, which would make the van cost roughly around $50,000.
Ryan is courageously going through this journey with the support of all his friends and family that love him. We created this fund to help Ryan and his family with anticipated medical bills and expenses they will need to navigate through this time. We humbly ask anyone to please either share this campaign, donate, or both. Whether you choose to donate $5 or $500, or share this post, you will be making a positive impact on someone’s life.
Ryan is a fighter! Never without hope and a smile, he continues to stay strong to fight the good fight!
Thank you on behalf of Michelle, Ryan, and Little Ryan <3
Ryan's niece,
Valerie
Some of you may be fortunate enough to know my uncle, Ryan Tabares. He is a loving husband to his wife, Michelle, and father to their 3-year-old son who is full of life. Ryan and Michelle met in Guam in 1991 and became high school sweethearts. However, they were separated when Ryan moved to California to attend college. Little did they know that twenty-four years later they would cross each other’s paths again. After catching up, they rekindled that spark that had never stopped burning. Soon they were excited to find out that they were having a baby boy. Ryan was excited to show and teach his son, little Ryan, all the things he loves to do such as fishing, cooking and playing sports. Life was perfect; Ryan felt complete and couldn’t be happier.
About 2 years ago Ryan and Michelle were training for a marathon with the big race just around the corner. Then one afternoon when Ryan was about to take Michelle to work, he felt a terrible pain. He quickly set Baby Ryan down before collapsing on the floor. They had no idea that he was experiencing a complete aortic dissection (rupture of the heart’s main blood vessel). They called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to save his life. Before going into surgery Ryan told Michelle, “I don’t know what will happen, but I’m gonna fight. Don’t give up on me. All I ask is you be my eyes, ears and voice.”
Ryan spent over 500 days in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries which resulted in further amputation of both of his legs finally to the hip socket. Unfortunately, he can’t sit upright without leaning to one side to maintain his balance. He uses an electric wheelchair and requires supplied oxygen through a tracheostomy to help him breath. His health is vulnerable, posing implications for his functionality and quality of life. All the dreams and wishes he had for him and his family now seem like a far distant reach. Ryan has always taken pride in being able to look after and protect his family. However, with his current situation he no longer has the ability to independently leave his home, and can’t help feeling like he has become a burden, holding back his family. One of Ryan’s goals is to become more independent in a way that he can spend more time with his wife and son. He has also expressed his wishes to “make things easier” for his wife, Michelle, who has to lift him into the car, take apart the wheelchair, and unload the O2 tank when traveling to doctor’s appointments. The difficulty of getting into and out of the car and the discomfort in riding in the car limit his ability to leave the home.
There are amazing advances in healthcare and technology that have the potential to improve Ryan’s quality of life. One of them is the use of an accessible van. With an accessible van, Ryan hopes to alleviate some heavy work from his loving wife, Michelle. However, many of these medical necessities, including the van, are not covered by insurance and can be extremely expensive. Our aim for this campaign is for Ryan and his family to be able to purchase a wheelchair-accessible van. This will open up doors of opportunity and will be a huge help to the family.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a used 2017 Dodge Caravan is approximately $25,500. Conversions to fit Ryan’s needs will cost an additional $25,000, which would make the van cost roughly around $50,000.
Ryan is courageously going through this journey with the support of all his friends and family that love him. We created this fund to help Ryan and his family with anticipated medical bills and expenses they will need to navigate through this time. We humbly ask anyone to please either share this campaign, donate, or both. Whether you choose to donate $5 or $500, or share this post, you will be making a positive impact on someone’s life.
Ryan is a fighter! Never without hope and a smile, he continues to stay strong to fight the good fight!
Thank you on behalf of Michelle, Ryan, and Little Ryan <3
Ryan's niece,
Valerie
Organizer and beneficiary
Ryan Tabares
Beneficiary