Ryleigh's Story

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read through Ryleigh's story. I also want to give a big thank you to everyone who has already gone out of their way to be extremely generous whether through giving your time, helping with tasks unrelated to hospital visits, cooking meals or bringing snacks, and helping with overall expenses.

Ryleigh went to the emergency room in March for a migraine that had lasted several days. She has had migraines for quite some time, but this one was not easing up. The ER doctor on call ordered a CT scan and found a large mass at the base of her skull, located at the tip of her spine. After a week-long stay in a local children's hospital, we were informed that the mass appeared to be benign, but had eaten through a large portion of the bone at the top of her spine. The mass had grown around blood vessels, arteries, and her optic nerve. The neurosurgeon on her case determined it would be best to send her to a specialist in Indianapolis, IN.

The specialist planned the surgery. He and his team of well-trained surgeons would remove as much of the mass as possible, place a graft, and plan to complete a cervical fusion the following day. The first surgery took 14 hours to complete. The following day, she was taken back to surgery. The surgeons discovered a spinal leak and spent the following 10+ hours repairing the graft.

Ryleigh spent the next few weeks in the hospital before they cleared her to go home. After only two days at home, she collapsed. She was taken to the local children's hospital where they discovered a pressure buildup in her surgical site. A procedure was completed by the wonderful staff and surgeons at that hospital to relieve the pressure. Within minutes Ryleigh was feeling much better! The specialist in Indianapolis requested she be transported back to his location for further treatment and evaluation. The next morning, she was flown to Indianapolis and had an MRI scan completed. A pinhole-sized opening in the graft was the cause of the pressure buildup.

As I sit here typing this, Ryleigh is still in surgery for the graft repair. She has been in surgery for 12 hours now. This surgery has complications of its own that Ryleigh will have to face over the next few weeks. After she heals from this surgery, she has cervical fusion surgery as well as proton therapy and physical therapy to complete. Her parents have placed everything on pause to be with her around the clock each night and day and have made hospital rooms and lobbies their new home for the foreseeable future.

Anyone who has had medical expenses knows they add up quickly. The cost of the hotel room, which they mainly use for the occasional nap in an actual bed or a shower, over several weeks has become a large expense as is purchasing meals from the hospital cafeteria. If you have taken the time to learn about Ryleigh and all she has and is currently going through, thank you. Please share her story. Any financial gifts will be used directly for expenses relating to her medical care, hotel costs, and other expenses that add up in situations like this (food, gas, parking garage expenses, etc).

**A little about Ryleigh for anyone who is still reading my lengthy note. Ryleigh is a sixteen-year-old girl with a kind heart. She has a passion for motocross, dirt bikes, and cars. Her favorite place is the Tail of the Dragon on warm, sunny days. She cherishes her friends and family. She loves to joke around with her four-year-old nephew, who thinks she is quite possibly the coolest person in the world. Ryleigh has a cat named Marcus and a gerbil named P'nut, both she rescued. Even through all the recent events, Ryleigh is still sarcastic and jokes around with her family. She still thinks about those around her and makes sure they are okay. She told me not long ago that she hopes in the end, when she overcomes all of this, that it will help other people through hard circumstances.