Ryan's Battle

Never in my life did I think I would need to sit down and create a page like this, least of all for my 24-year-old nephew Ryan Rasset. It breaks my heart to think of all that he has battled the past several days and the long journey he still has ahead of him. I am Jodi Norgren, Ryan’s aunt. To know Ryan is to love Ryan! He is truly one of the most genuine, kindhearted, funny, hardworking guys you could ever meet.

Ryan was born with a heart condition called an incomplete heart block. What that means is Ryan’s two lower chambers of his heart were not getting the electrical signal from his upper chambers telling them when to beat. Over the years, the incomplete heart block worsened to a complete heart block and required Ryan to get a pacemaker. At the age of seven, Ryan received his first pacemaker. At the age of seventeen, the battery on his first pacemaker had worn out and Ryan received his second pacemaker.

Ryan has never let that slow him down. He goes through life never missing a beat.

Earlier this year, it was determined that the battery on Ryan’s second pacemaker had worn out and he would need another pacemaker replacement. The doctors also noted that there was a current leak somewhere, with either his pacemaker or the leads. The doctors would not be able to determine exactly where the current was leaking from until they did the pacemaker replacement surgery.

On Monday, May 15, 2023, Ryan was scheduled for surgery to replace his pacemaker. Soon after surgery began, his surgeons determined that the leads were leaking current and that they would need to replace his leads. During the extraction of the old leads, the doctors encountered severe complications and had to open Ryan’s chest. What should have been a 2-5 hour surgery with a small incision, turned into an

emergency open heart surgery that lasted over 12 hours. During the 12-hour surgery, Ryan’s heart was stopped for 30 minutes and he was placed on bypass for 227 minutes. To give perspective on the odds of this happening…our family had been informed that if the leads needed to be replaced there was only a 1% - 2% chance for major complications.

We waited through the night, not knowing if Ryan would make it to the morning. Only knowing they had run into complications, and he was bleeding so they had to open his chest and he was on bypass. What we later found out was that when Ryan’s second lead was extracted, some veins/ arteries in his heart were damaged. The old leads entered his heart through the left brachiocephalic vein and then

into his heart through the superior vena cava. Both these veins were calcified and were brittle. The calcification was part of Ryan’s natural healing process of having the leads implanted years ago. Since the veins were so calcified, they broke open and/or crumbled when the leads were removed. The surgeon had to repair/replace part of the superior vena cava with a mesh graft. The surgeon tied off the brachiocephalic vein since there was nothing to repair. There was also an artery laying directly behind

these veins that had to be repaired with a mesh graft. This artery carries blood to the right side of the brain.

Against all odds, our prayers were answered, and Ryan made it through surgery! He was sedated, and placed on a breathing tube with multiple drainage tubes in the ICU. We were informed of countless complications that could arise following his surgery. One was brain damage, not to mention the damage to his heart. Slowly over time, they awoke him from his sedation to see how he would respond. It felt like a living nightmare waiting to see if Ryan had come so far, and not knowing what further

damage he may have sustained. Our second set of prayers were answered and he had no signs of brain damage! However, Ryan’s heart sustained extensive damage. Due to the brachiocephalic vein being tied off, his body must now find a new route to direct blood flow from the left side of his body back to his heart. His pacemaker had to be placed on the opposite side of his chest and they had to place additional

leads to ensure his new pacemaker would work properly. As his heart tries to create a new path to route blood he is experiencing extensive swelling on the left side of his body. As soon as Ryan was fully awake and could communicate, he noted below his left knee was numb, but he was also experiencing extreme leg pain, and he could not fully move his foot. Initially, his doctors felt this was nerve damage from such a

prolonged surgery.

Daily we prayed Ryan’s condition would stabilize. Only to be informed five days later he was being rushed back into surgery, this time for his leg as his swelling, pain and numbness were worsening. His surgeons performed an emergency fasciotomy and were able to relieve some pressure by draining some fluid. However, they diagnosed him with Compartment Syndrome. They found that the muscle in the lower half of his leg, which controls his foot lifting up, died. During the open heart surgery, the doctors

used Ryan’s femoral artery when he was placed on bypass. And the extended time he was on bypass caused poor blood flow to the muscles in the lower half of his leg. The Compartment Syndrome left him with permanent damage of dropped foot, and the inability to lift his foot. Worst case if infection sets in they may need to amputate the leg.

Over the next few days, the pain and swelling in his leg continued and caused him so much pain. Six days after his fasciotomy, Ryan had to go in for a second surgery on his leg. The surgeons did what is called debridement, which is the removal of dead muscle. The debridement was to help with pain and swelling and to help with the risk of infection.

As we wait and pray, Ryan undergoes numerous daily sessions of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Cardiovascular Therapy and breathing exercises to try and re-strengthen his lungs. We continue to pray for his heart and lungs to heal so pneumonia does not set in, that he does not get any blood clots, and that infection does not set into his leg.

Currently there are more questions than answers with his leg, and what this all means for Ryan as his teams of doctors evaluate all the options. However, what we do know is with all of the factors Ryan is dealing with he has a very long road ahead of him. We know he will need 24/7 care as he recovers. He will require additional surgeries on his leg and countless hours of therapy. As well as numerous medical devices to aid in his recovery. Due to this, we felt starting this page was one of the best ways we can

offer support to Ryan, as his medical bills are starting to pile up. Ryan has been working and going to school. Working to establish himself in life, as every 24-year-old dreams to do. It is not in his character to ask for financial help, but we have encouraged him to let us do this for him to try to ease some of the burden to ensure he stays focused on his recovery. At this time, we have no idea when he will be able to fully support himself and return to work. If you feel at liberty to donate we so greatly appreciate the support. If you are unable to donate financially, we would so appreciate any prayers you can send Ryan for no further complications in his recovery and possibly you could look to donate blood. If it wasn’t for other blood donors we know Ryan would not be with us today. Thank you for taking the time to read up on Ryan’s journey. Please feel free to share Ryan's story and link.

God bless, Jodi