Ryder’s new liver

Hello! My name is Ryder. As of November this year, I am 8 years old. Sonic the Hedgehog & Pokemon are two of my most favorite things in the world. I live at home with my mom, 2 brothers, & little sister. Im stuck right in the middle, but I get to be a little brother and a big brother, so its cool that I have two special jobs. My mom says I give the best hugs & I am always able to sweet talk my aunts & grandparents into just about anything when I blink my eyelashes at them. They think its cute, I guess. We always get to celebrate holidays with alot of people because we have a big family, with a lot of people who love us! These are just some of the things that make me special, but one big thing makes me stand out from my siblings & other kids like me. Sometimes, I get sick and I have to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Its not very fun, but it is funny when Mommy buys me Starbucks bagels because its my favorite food when Im in the hospital.

 Ya see, I have Polycystic Liver & Kidney Disease. The doctors say I was born with it, but somehow, I was so strong when I was born that no one found it! When I was 2 years old, the doctor noticed my tummy is a little bigger than it should be & after a lot of testing, I was diagnosed. I overheard the doctor explaining it to Mommy with a lot of big words, but Im a smart cookie so Im going to try to explain! PLD is a rare, inherited disease that only 1 in 100,000 people get. I told you Im special! It is characterized by the progressive growth of cysts of various sizes scattered throughout the liver. Having a liver thats so full of stuff sometimes makes it hard for me to play. It causes tummy pain & swelling, shortness of breath, & also makes yucky stuff bubble up in my throat sometimes. Since the liver & kidneys live beside each other, sometimes my kidneys have to get medicine so they don't get sick, too. When my tummy swells up really big, I just cant play like I want to. I have a really good attitude & I try to play through it, but sometimes, I just have to go play my iPad & lay on the couch because it hurts.

Reading it makes it sound really sad, but its not because I heard the best news yesterday!  Mommy said I get to go get a NEW LIVER!!!! Once I get the new liver, Ill feel better all the time! Ill get to play with my friends & siblings without having to stop because it hurts! I wont have to worry about my tummy swelling & you wont even know that I have a disease! My grandparents come down to help when Im sick & I overheard them talking to my mommy about making plans and taking some time off work. Seems like it takes a whole lot of adults to take care of all of us when I stay at the hospital. Mommy doesn’t leave my side, though. She works really hard all the time, but I really love when she gets to be here & just take care of me everyday. When I get my new liver, we will stay in Charleston at the hospital for 4-6 weeks. Thats more than a month! What Im hoping for through this fundraiser is that we can raise enough money for Mommy to be able to take care of me for as long as I need her. I didnt tell you Im a mommas boy, so I need her.

 Thank you for taking time to read a little bit about me and Im sure they will post my picture, so you can see how adorable I am! Thank you for making it possible for me to live a long, healthy life as normally as possible!! -Ryder