Ryan's Surprise Birthday Gift (road bike) ‍

Julie Nguyen is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hello!

My name is Julie, and on behalf of our family and friends, we are raising $ to surprise my husband, Ryan, with his lifelong dream of owning and racing a road bike. ‍

If you know Ryan, he does not celebrate or mention his birthday (Monday, August 29) to anyone! For as long as I've known him, he's humble and has never asked anyone for anything.

As an early start e-commerce businessman, his time, energy and effort are dedicated to the grind of building businesses. Some are wonderfully successful, while others offer great learning lessons. This experience can take a toll on his body and mind while financially reinvesting in the business ideas.

By surprising him with a road bike, which he's always wanted (and deserves), we hope it will bring him joy and inspiration to step outside, feel the wind, and decompress. At the same time, we anticipate the bike will invigorate his lifelong dream of racing in a triathlon.

So why are we getting him a road bike and not something else?

This dream goes back to 4 years ago when I first met my husband. At that time, he was training for a triathlon!

Unfortunately, during his training, we lost a best friend/brother (Rest Peacefully, our dear Ian McSwain, 2018). Ryan and I met at Ian's life celebration/funeral (similar to Boaz & Ruth's story).

Over time, I saw Ryan's triathlon commitment slowly dissipate as he navigated depression and weight gain to focus on changing his career trajectory, business network and family expansion (hello, wifey!).

Since then, I've watched Ryan admire road bikes from afar and look forward to the day he's able to return to his triathlon training, join bike ride groups, and enjoy his passion for cycling.

With your voluntary contribution, his birthday will be THE DAY he'll remember that he's truly loved and supported by us - his family, friends, and community!

Thank you for your time, for reading our story, and for supporting Ryan's dream of owning and racing a road bike one day!

Julie

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Aug 20th Update:

Thank you to our first 6 contributors: his mother Lorien, his mentee Tiffany, his cousins Twila and Quentin, his most fun and adorable Valeria, and our transformational coach "K"!!!
I'll add everyone's name and messages onto a greeting card when we surprise him on Sunday, August 28th, with his mother and friends in town.
For those curious about the recommended deadline to contribute, please donate by Saturday, August 27th end of the day! If you need more time, that's okay! Please let me know in advance so I can add your name to the greeting card!
Again, your gift is voluntary, and we don't expect anything. We also welcome a simple greeting message! The fact that we're all joining efforts from different walks of his life is meaningful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!