The story of Ryan
When I was 11 years old, I was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in my brain. I was told it was too big and too dangerous to operate on or treat. I was told to “go live my life.” My parents researched and found that due to this diagnosis being rare, there was little research being done to find a safer treatment. So my parents started their own non-profit named AVM Research Foundation in 2015. In 2015 I had a brain hemorrhage and had to learn to walk, talk, eat and perform all activities of daily living. I have had 4 brain surgeries and my AVM was finally completely taken out in 2019. I also had my right and left hemispheres of my brain separated at that time due to constant seizure activity. I am still continuing to do therapies and I now work four days a week at a golf course near me. My family continues to raise funds for our foundation and have partnered with Dr. Chen, a neurosurgeon and interventional radiologist in the Houston, Texas Medical Center to perform the research. We have been able to give Dr. Chen over $1,300,000 since the beginning by having several fundraisers a year. Dr. Chen and his research team are the very FIRST researchers in the WORLD to create a true AVM in an animal model. Now, doctors and researchers around the globe are able to research different treatment modalities to find a safer treatment. We are dedicated to helping families not to have to go through all we have been through.
www.research4ryan.org