Update August 10, 2025
It is a great relief to announce that Ryan has been released from the hospital. We are deeply grateful that one of his sisters can take him in and provide a safe place for the subacute stage of his recovery. Without that, he would be forced into far less accommodating circumstances. While he is doing very well, compared to most who suffer this affliction, his progress is not a certainty, and he will undergo brain scans and careful follow-up evaluation for several more weeks. His on-going care will include pain-management treatment for the intense and persistent headaches that he is already dealing with. As the pain slowly subsides, (which is not guaranteed), the hard work of rebuilding his life begins. Cerebral hemorrhage recovery is life-changing regardless of the permanent physical damage that occurs. We are all reminded of how precious and fragile our lives are, and we hope you will join us in remaining committed to helping him find the new path he must now forge.
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On July 26, 2025, our brother Ryan had his Saturday afternoon workout brought to a shuddering stop with something almost mythically described as a “thunderclap headache.” This is the first – and often last – symptom that happens when a cerebral aneurysm bursts and hemorrhages into the subarachnoid space of the skull.
Ryan was driven to a nearby ER; once a diagnosis was made, he was transferred by ambulance to Seattle's Cherry Hill Swedish Medical Center. He began receiving treatment, including an endovascular stent and coil that was threaded through to his brain to assist his body in healing the ruptured blood vessel. Thus began the slow and extraordinarily painful process of healing from a cerebral hemorrhage.
As of today, our brother has defied the odds. Statistically, only 17% of those who suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage, or SAH as it is commonly called, survive without serious brain damage. Only about half of those to experience it will live long enough to even reach an E.R. Of course, we are still in the “early days” of recovery; his condition remains guarded and anything is still possible.
We are Ryan’s family, and we appreciate you for taking a moment to read his story. He is a unique and wonderful man; if you knew him as we do, you’d be as fiercely attached to him as we are. You just wouldn’t be able to help yourself. He has always been a tower of energy, gravitating to all kinds of physical work: landscaping, climbing cell towers as a cell service technician, vineyard technician, skilled service worker, and more. He has never stopped trying new things. He is always willing to lend a hand to anyone around him in need, free from every form of prejudgment. He was – and is – the bright spark of Christlike charity. Now, however, his own need will quickly grow exponentially, and he is, to put it plainly, lucky to be alive.
Ryan's detailed brain scans revealed two more small aneurysms, one at the base of the skull, near where the aneurysm that ruptured was found, and one behind his left eye; these are powder kegs that will need to be addressed before they endanger him again. Treatment for these is likely to involve surgery. This, however, is not the only uncertainty he faces. We don't yet know how much Ryan will need, but he has no health insurance, and we all know how high the cost of healthcare can be. Add to this the potential need for long-term care and the cost of helping him make changes to his very way of life. Please help us care for Ryan, and keep his bright spark glowing. Donations to this fund will go directly to him to help him meet all these new challenges.