We are so honored to create this  campaign for our friends, Christie, Adam and their children, including sweet Ronan who you will read about below. Join us in supporting them as they begin this journey.  Proceeds from this campaign will go directly to the Plack family to cover all costs associated with caring for Ronan including medical expenses, travel expenses to Iowa City and future plans to accommodate him as his mobility changes. Thank you all so much for being a part of this amazing cause. 

Message from Christie:
"On Monday, March 25th our sweet 5 year old Ronan was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Feel free to stop and take a quick Google break… I know I had to when the nurse called and said that Ronan’s physical therapist wanted to have him screened for muscular dystrophy I had no idea what the disease was. I hung up the phone, Googled it, and instantly my world changed. Ronan had EVERY SINGLE SIGN.
If you have met Ronan you have seen his massive calves. People comment on them every summer when we’re out and about and he’s wearing shorts. This disease was an explanation for every single Ronan quirk. I could give so many examples of things that have happened (he can’t push the bike pedals, etc.) that now make sense. We always thought he was clumsy and uncoordinated because he appears strong. It turns out that those muscles are not actually strong but appear large because as the muscle breaks down it is replaced with something equivalent to a fat deposit.
We are still learning about this terrible disease but here is a quick summary. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic condition which affects the muscles, causing muscle weakness. Muscles contain a chemical (protein) called dystrophin, which is necessary for muscles to function properly. People with muscular dystrophy have a shortage of dystrophin in their muscles. The lack of dystrophin leads to muscle fiber damage and a gradual weakening of the muscles. It is a progressive disease and currently there is no cure.
My mom heart aches right now. I can’t explain the feeling of reading things like rare disease, no cure, etc. I don’t know why my sweet baby is asked to walk this road and I’ll probably never understand why. I do believe that God is bigger than this diagnosis.
A friend gave me the image of Jesus putting his arms around Ronan and carrying him through this journey. I have had to go back to that image countless times to get through the days.
We traveled to Iowa City on Wednesday, April 10th to meet with a dedicated team of pediatric muscular dystrophy doctors. This is a terrible disease and there is currently no cure, but there is HOPE. We are waiting for the results of the genetic testing to see what specific mutation he has. There are steroids to slow the progress of the disease (steroids do have a laundry list of side effects) and protect the heart muscles.
I am so thankful for all of you. I’ll continue to share more about his journey and we appreciate all of the prayers for our sweet boy right now! #readingforRonan