Savanna and Marc were ecstatic to find out they were expecting a baby boy. Their excitement turned to fear, however, when at a routine scan they learned that their unborn son, Ryder, had issues with his heart.

Doctors in their hometown of Livermore, KY, were unfamiliar with how to treat Ryder and recommended they seek specialist care. Savanna and Marc desperately needed a team who were better equipped to handle their son’s medical condition. When family friends told Savanna and Marc about the life-saving care their child received from cardiac specialists in Cincinnati, they found hope.

Upon arriving in Cincinnati, Savanna had several tests that revealed devastating news. Ryder had one of the rarest cases of a congenital heart defect that doctors had ever seen. It was going to be a long road ahead, but Savanna and Marc were ready.

Ryder was born in January of 2020 and has already endured multiple surgeries and procedures. Now, they wait. Ryder needs to grow stronger before he can undergo what they hope is his final repair surgery. Until he is ready, they must remain close to the hospital because every minute would be critical if something were to go wrong.

For months, his family has been far from home to get Ryder the care he needs. With a room in our House, they have been by his side the entire time. Savanna shared this about their time in our House:

“Staying in the House has helped us financially. Both of us have lost our jobs while being here, and we will continue to be here for a few months. Our stay has been significantly longer than originally planned so it’s been so helpful to have the comfort of a place to call home while we wait out his repair.”

For the parents living in our House, having a medically fragile child is already scary. The addition of a global pandemic adds even more fear and stress. Savanna explained:

“With Ryder’s condition, he is super fragile and we have to be extra cautious on a daily basis. With his heart, any sickness can be drastic for him. We take the same precautions with the virus as we did before it happened. We have been in Cincinnati since December, and we miss our families.”

It’s been months since Savanna and Marc have seen their family and friends back in Livermore, KY. However, their hope comes from a place to call “home” in our House. Without your support, we couldn’t be here for them.

“The donations to the House mean a lot to all the families that live here. It’s hard to be away from home. It’s comforting to not have to worry about the little things like where your next meal is coming from or the basic household items that you need for your room. It’s a big relief to have a few less things to stress about when all the families here have such an incredible amount on their plates.”

While Ryder continues to wait for his final repair surgery, his family will remain in our House. Despite everything he is going through, you would never know how sick Ryder is and how much he has already endured.

“He’s certainly the sweetest, happiest boy that has been through so, so much in his short time. He never lets it show. He’s amazing.”

Thank you helping us keep Ryder and his family together and close to the life-saving care they need.