Thank you for visiting my personal campaign page! I hope a lot of people will walk this year. It would be fun to meet new people!!   I walked 13 laps last year, everyone was proud of me!!   It will be more exciting to walk along the Greenbelt, than just around the track.   I want to raise more money this year so they can understand  Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).  I do not want other children to go through what I have gone through. I am 17 years old.   I almost died at birth because of low muscle tone and low oxygen levels. I began physical, occupational, speech and educational therapy at 5 months of age.  I had a neuroblastoma tumor at 11 months.  I recently had surgery on both feet and have had a spinal fusion surgery in March.  I just found out that the titanium rod in my back for the spinal fusion is broke.  I do not want another surgery, and now I have to because the pain is so bad.  The surgery was June 25th and the rods were replaced and the doctor took the screws down to L4.  I am very anemic which is why mom tells me that I need to sleep a lot.  It is hard to get going some days.  I am starting in physical therapy because I still want to walk the greenbelt on the 25th of this month.  I get angry and depressed sometimes and I do not like feeling that way.  This has been a difficult past year for me.  I hope the funding for this research will not only help me, but help other people that may be diagnosed with PWS.

If you can not walk with us, please donate or volunteer your time to help out.   All proceeds from the One SMALL Step walks go to fund the Prader-Willi Syndrome Research Plan jointly created byThe Foundation for Prader Willi Research (FPWR) and PWSAUSA. Learn more about PWS and this event at http://www.fpwr.org/. Please join me and donate now!

Thanks, Ryan

(My friend in the picture is Ethan)