Ryder is four years old. He was born smiling and has never stopped since. He's so happy and full of life. He lights up any room he's in. Ryder was diagnosed with autism, adhd, and, anxiety when he was two years old. He's non verbal and he’s always had sensory sensitivities. Loud noises and crowds have always been a challenge for him, he doesn’t like things to be on him, and he struggles processing his emotions, and change. 

When Ryder was 16 months old we found out that he had two cysts in his brain and started needing yearly MRIs to watch them and make sure they weren’t moving. This past year Ryder started having seizures several times a week. He has terrible headaches and loses his energy for hours after an episode. During one of his routine MRIs for the cysts, they found a tumor in his brain. They realized that it had grown quickly and was going to continue to grow so they decided to and perform craniotomy surgery this past August 17th to remove the tumor. He’ll have to have an MRI every three months now to make sure that it doesn’t grow back. 

Ryder goes to preschool and he LOVES it. There he gets speech and occupational therapy. Ryder has spent many days at the hospital getting Surgery, EEG's, MRI's, well visits, and other tests to try and get more information about the cysts, seizures, and tumor, and although it's been a long journey that’s not always been easy or comfortable for him, he amazes us everyday with his resilience and ability to stay happy in any situation. A service dog for Ryder would mean having a calm amongst the storm. A forever friend to ease his anxiety, and to navigate him through those stressful overwhelming situations.

OR

You can also mail a check or money order to:

W.A.G.S. 4 Kids

112 East Center Street

Berea, OH 44017

Help another child in need! Please make a memo that your donation is in Ryder's Name.

s