Ryan Smith's Long Road ...

Hi, my name is Connie Villari. I'm a friend of Ryan and Priscilla Smith and their family. Many of you know that Ryan is currently in the ICU at Regions Hospital.

Ryan is a great guy. He's a devoted father, loving husband and the best friend you could wish for. He's a lieutenant with the Stillwater Fire Department and he works for Homeland Security and Emergency Management with the State of Minnesota. He represents the State of Minnesota in coordinating federal relief for disasters all over the state.

Neurologists and Infectious Disease specialists are speculating that he contracted a virus while traveling for work the week of July 18. The virus started to attack his body, specifically his face and throat, disabling him from being able to speak or breathe. His intubation has been recently removed, and has been replaced with a tracheotomy tube for breathing and a PEG feeding tube. He has been diagnosed with a rare form of Guillain-Barre syndrome that is only seen in 1 in a million people. His doctors and family are hopeful for a full recovery, but it is going to be a long journey back to health which requires an extensive amount of long-term care. Ryan and his family are wonderful people. I'm hoping you'll join me in this funding campaign to help relieve some of the financial burden associated with Ryan's hospital stay, time away from work and the road to rehabilitation.

Priscilla asked me to share a huge THANK YOU for all the support they've received from friends and family at this incredibly challenging time. She also, of course, sends XOXOXO and would attach her favorite term of endearment for each and every one of you. Thanks so much for your time, positive thoughts, and donations.