Join Ryan’s Team!

This is the 13th year Ryan’s Team will be raising money for the American Heart Association and participating in the Heart Walk.  This year the walk is again at the Harriman State Office Campus in Albany.

There are two ways you can help Ryan’s Team raise money for the American Heart Association so the important research can continue for CHD, heart disease and stroke.

You can join us on Sunday, June 2nd for the Heart Walk.  If you plan to walk in support of Ryan’s Team, you need to register on this webpage by clicking on the “Join This Team” link.  You then create your own personal webpage / link where you can make a donation.  You can also send your link out to family and friends to raise additional donations.  We encourage you to do this step as all of that will contribute toward Ryan’s Team donations. 

If you are not able to walk but would like to make a donation to the American Heart Association, click on the “Make a General Donation to This Team” link. 

Congenital Heart Defects affect nearly 1%- or about 40,000- births per year in the United States and are the most common type of birth defects. 

Our son, Ryan, was diagnosed at our 20 week prenatal appointment with Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries. CCTGA is a rare heart defect. Only 0.5 to 1 percent of all people with heart defects have CCTGA.  This means there are 5,000 to 10,000 people in the United States with this condition. In CCTGA both ventricles  (the lower pumping chambers) of the heart are reversed. 

When Ryan was 4 years old, he was also diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome after several episodes of Supraventricular Tachycardia (a very accelerated heart rate).  Only 1% of the people in the United States that are diagnosed with CCTGA also have WPW. That means only 50-100 people in the entire U.S. have a special heart like Ryan!  Ryan’s pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Michael Colon, prescribed a beta blocker and this helped to keep his heart in rhythm. 

In 2022, Ryan met the criteria to have a heart ablation to correct the Wolff-Parkinson’s White Syndrome.  In October of 2022, Ryan went to Boston Children’s Hospital and the procedure was a success!  Ryan no longer has to take the beta blocker twice a day and hasn’t experienced any tachycardia episodes since his procedure.

The money raised through your support of Ryan’s Team and the American Heart Association helps to fund research for doctors to perform surgeries on special hearts like Ryan’s.  Babies born with Congenital Heart Defects are living longer and healthier lives. 

Thank you for supporting Ryan's Team, making a donation, and asking others to support Ryan's Team!