
On Christmas of 2016, my brother Ryan had passed away in his sleep. At 24 years old, he was a young, healthy, and motivated individual who was just getting ready to take hold of his independent life. His brilliance and work ethic had led him through successes at Iona Prep High School and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. However, his intelligence was second to his generosity and loving nature. Ryan had embraced the role of being the eldest sibling as he would always make time for family. Whether it was taking me to six flags or driving my sister hours to watch the Women’s World Cup, he never fell short of showing how much he loved us. He was also a charismatic fiancé to his high school sweetheart in which he would have spread his joy to a family of his own. He was on a path in life that would have been filled with success and many moments of making others laugh and smile as he so often did.
Today, there is still no answer as to why Ryan had passed away that night. That brought me to The SADS Foundation, the leader for research in the field of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. I wanted to start this fund with an event in which people would run 24 minutes July 31st, 2021 to honor Ryan and raise awareness and donations to SADS. The money donated to this foundation will allow for further medical research and development for the leading medical professionals in the field of Sudden Arrhythmic Death. As there are thousands of individuals and families that are heartbroken from SADS, there is still much work to do. I appreciate you listening to his story and I hope one day your donation and awareness can help save a life like Ryan’s. As Ryan’s senior yearbook states, “The greatest investments people can ever make are investments in those around them.” #24ForRy