Ryiah has a rare esophageal disorder.

Who is Ryiah?

Ryiah Kathleen was born at 37 weeks on a September 20, 2019.  She weighed 5 lbs and 11 ounces, and was 18 inches long.  She has beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous strawberry blonde hair.

Ryiah’s parents were alerted about her possible congenital disorder when her mother was about 20 weeks pregnant.  The high risk pregnancy team could not detect a “bubble” in Ryiah’s stomach, which indicated Ryiah could not swallow.

Then came the wait game.  There were no additional tests available to determine if Ryiah’s esophagus was working prior to her delivery.




Who are her parents?

Alissa and Dustin met in high school and shared a friendship.  Life took them in opposite directions towards other partners.  Alissa became a mother to a little boy, and Dustin became a father to a little girl and then a little boy.  Alissa eventually returned home to Illinois with her son, and reconnected with Dustin.  After years of dating, they blended their families and married in 2010.  

Owen joined their family in 2013, and little Alexander was born in 2015.  They decided to try one more time for a girl; following a miscarriage in 2018, Alissa shared her happy news in January 2019 that she was pregnant again.  

12 short weeks later, we knew Ryiah was a girl.

Dustin works hard to provide for his family.  He has been employed at the same company since 2002 as a Web Designer / Programmer.  Alissa has stayed home with her youngest son and intended to stay home with Ryiah.  Additionally, Dustin was able to fulfill Alissa’s other dream of owning her own farm... they closed on their 5 acre farm in September 2018.  Dustin even bought Alissa alpacas! (One is pregnant!!)


What is Ryiah’s congenital disorder?

After Ryiah was born, it was confirmed that she has Esophageal Atresia.  There are four types of Esophageal Atresia, and Ryiah’s is the rarest.  Ryiah’s Esophageal Atresia does not involve her trachea. 

Simply put - Ryiah’s esophagus does not connect to her stomach.  She is unable to eat as newborns are supposed to.

Ryiah was fed through IV nutrition for the first 72 hours of her life.  The Monday after she was born, a G-tube was inserted into her stomach and specialists from Rush University and Lurie’s Children’s Hospital were able to determine Ryiah has a 5 cm gap between the bottom of her esophagus and the top of her stomach.

With the g-tube inserted, Ryiah has been able to begin feedings via drip.  She is up to 55ml of breast milk pumped by Alissa at every feeding.  Whenever she receives breast milk through her g-tube, she is instantly soothed and relaxed.  Ryiah has also gained weight and is up to 6 pounds and 1 ounce!

For perspective, 55ml is just under 2 ounces. 



How do you treat Esophageal Atresia?

Remember when I said the type of Esophageal Atresia Ryiah has is really rare?  Doctors at Rush and Luries believe she is a good candidate for an equally rare, minimally invasive procedure.  

What is it? The Flourish™ Pediatric Esophageal Atresia Device is used to non-surgically repair the esophagus in infants who were born with their upper esophagus disconnected from their lower esophagus and stomach (esophageal atresia). These patients are unable to eat by mouth.

How does it work? The Flourish™ Device consists of two tubes (catheters), each of which contains a magnet at its tip. One tube is inserted through the mouth and the other through the stomach. Once in place, the magnetic ends of the catheters attract one another and pull the ends of the esophagus together. Over several days, the gap between the upper and lower esophagus is closed and the surrounding tissue grows together. Within 3-13 days, the tissue trapped between the magnets will die and a hole (anastomosis) will open between the two portions of the esophagus.

This unique procedure is FDA approved, but only 17 infants in the US have qualified for this treatment option.

For more information click here. 



Who am I?

My name is Brittany and I’ve been Alissa’s best friend for 30 years.  We’ve played barbies together, rode horses, attended Homecoming and Prom together.  We fought over boys (or choices made about boys), and loved each other through heartbreaks.  We watched each other succeed academically as we both graduated with bachelors degrees and then masters (Alissa got there a lot faster than I did).  I watched her marry her perfect partner and finally find her happiness, and we’ve held each other’s children hours after they were born.  I love her family dearly, and wish there were more I could do to help them.



Where will the funds go?

Dustin has great insurance.  They are very blessed.  However... it is uncertain if his insurance will cover the cost of Ryiah’s best option.  Also, Ryiah will be in the NICU indefinitely.  She is not able to go home as she has the g-tube, a tube to continuously suction out her esophagus of mucous, a PICC line, and she is on low flowing oxygen at this time.  Dustin’s Insurance does have a cap, but they are likely looking at tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.  Finally, once Alissa is able to drive on her own, she will be making daily trips to Edward Hospital to spend time with Ryiah.  Gas expenses will pile up as Dustin and Alissa live 45 minutes from the closest hospital able to treat Ryiah.  All of the funds received through this GoFundMe drive will go directly towards Ryiah’s medical bills and the family’s travel expenses to be with her.



Thank you for your time.  We would greatly appreciate any shares, good thoughts, and prayers for the sweetest little baby girl.