PLEASE take a moment to enjoy this beautiful Powerpoint presentation Brooke put together about Ryan and the condition he was born with - Tetraology of Fallot. After the educational portion of the presentation to her health class, she presented this personal one of her own. Sooooo proud of her - and of my brave little boy.

1. This picture,
taken before
Ryan’s first Open
Heart surgery,
was just how his
smiles lit up our
whole family. I
couldn’t have
been more
proud to
become a “big
sister”.

2. My brother, Ryan, was 3 months old when he had his first Open-
Heart Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. His
second surgery was in early December that same year, 2006.

3. I don’t see these pictures so much as sad – but more of
them showing Ryan on the road to recovery…

4. He was a baby recovering in a huge bed surrounded
by doctors and nurses watching his progress – and with
the comfort of toys I’d brought him.

5. I didn’t know while my mother was pregnant, that my
parents already knew about Ryan’s heart condition. I was
told about it a few days before he was born, because it was
explained to me that he might not come home for a while if
he had to have his “broken heart” fixed first.

6. This photo was taken only a few weeks after Ryan’s first
Open Heart Surgery, and he was happy and seemed
to be unaware of all the trauma he had been through.

7. By July 4th, 2006, only about 6 weeks after his first
surgery, Ryan was all smiles for my Mom and ready
to drive.

8. The first
Halloween
that Ryan
was old
enough to
walk, he was
ready to
show he
really was a
“Superman”.

9. His scars are barely visible. There are two, big,
overlapping vertical ones and a few other scars from
the chest tubes he had during and after the surgeries.

10. There
isn’t
anything
Ryan
doesn’t
want to
do.

11. A few
years ago,
everything
was all
about
trucks and
army men.
Now it’s
PS3 and
Minecraft.

12. Ryan is just like every other little boy – he’s
always “ready to roll”…

13. … and the “life” of every party.

14. I’m happy
to go
everywhere
with Ryan.
We have a
very strong
bond.

15. Ryan doesn’t
have ANY
restrictions
from sports or
other
activities.
This photo
was taken of
us at camp.
He does
everything
every child
should do
and enjoy.

16. Through the
miracles of
surgery and
modern
medicine – and
also Ryan’s
determination,
he is dedicated
to taking part in
baseball…

17. …and martial
arts. He’s getting
close to
becoming a
Black Belt and
already looking
forward to the
incredibly
difficult hike I just
took, because
I’m only weeks
away from
becoming one.

18. It might be hard for
people to
understand just
how much I
appreciate my
brother and how
protective of him I
am. He means the
world to me. When
he’s next to me, I
feel wonderful.

19. Once a year, Ryan goes into the city with my parents for a day of a
lot of medical tests. Once, he was even injected with a dye and put
into a machine he described as an “Avatar” machine, so that the
doctors could examine his lungs.
This picture is not
from his testing a
week ago (it’s from 2
years ago). A week
ago, he had his
annual exam, and
he and my parents
had blood samples
taken so that they
could take part in a
huge study of
families, so that
experts could try and
determine if
congenital heart
defects are genetic.

20. My mother is a
journalist and owns
a newspaper. Every
year, in February,
she publishes an
article she wrote
called, “Born With A
Broken Heart”. It’s a
positive article
about our
experiences as a
family, and with tips
for families with
children suffering
from ailments, and
how they can make
it through tough
times.

21. Ryan is handsome,
and active and
everyone who meets
him, loves him. He
has the sweetest
laugh, says the
funniest things – and
even though he is
sometimes shy, once
he warms up to
someone, his whole
personality comes
out. He is the best
friend I could ever
ask for – and will
always and forever,
be my best friend.