08/28/2026
🤎 This week’s Puck Drop Story belongs to: Ryder!
In his Mother’s Words: “Ryder was eager to meet the world, making a premature entrance at 32 weeks on August 20th 2014. Shortly after birth, he quickly struggled to maintain baseline status and questions arose to transfer to a near by hospital for further evaluations.
He spend 38 days at Women and Infants NICU and still coming home on oxygen, NG feeding tube, many restrictions and nursing care with a diagnosis of Down Syndrome and a Congenital Heart defect. We followed the restrictions and weekly weight checks until surgery #1, open heart surgery. Surgery #1 was Jan 2015, at 5 months old to repair an ASD (atrial septal defect) and VSD (ventricular septal defect), this was an emotionally difficult yet successful 8 hour surgery and recovery for him/our family.
Since that surgery, he has had atleast one surgery a year ranging from multiple ear/nose/throat related surgies, airway reconstruction, and orthopedic surgeries.
Regardless of the current diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Congenital Heart Defect, Epilepsy, ADHD and Autism he is an inquisitive 12 year old boy with an adventurous and equally feisty personality. You can find him with a prideful smile playing baseball, flag football, soccer, basketball or Cheer with Special Olympics or just singing in the backyard while on the swings, climbing the playground, swimming or cartwheeling on the trampoline with his friends or older sister, Hunter (14).”
Thank you for sharing Ryder’s story with us! 🤎 We got to share Wish Ever After Camp with this awesome family and it was amazing to see Ryder shine the way he does! He is on tough kid & we are happy to have met them all!
Learning and educating yourself on other stories of other warriors is crucial! Awareness for these kids and their families is huge and I won’t stop sharing each of them, because every child has a story based off strength and resilience and it’s so cool to hear about! Keep being amazing Ryder!
