PRESS CHRISTMAS FOR ALL Let's get Ryan off the floor

As part of the annual Press Christmas for All Campaign, we share with readers the stories of those applying for help. This is one of them.

Twenty-three-year-old “Ryan” has been through a lot this year. A young man with Down syndrome and ADHD, he struggles with change.

Changes with his housing, medications and a recent heart surgery have caused a great deal of upset for Ryan.

Ryan has always had a heart murmur and a smaller-than-average-sized heart. His family knew he would need the surgery eventually. But they weren’t expecting it so soon, his mother told Press Christmas for All.

Now he's recuperating with his family but looks forward to improved health and returning to the shared home and roommates that he loves so much.

“He is doing so much better now but it’s been a long haul,” his mother said. “Slowly but surely, he is getting stronger.”

Now settled with the Community Connections Incorporated organization, which helps those with special needs maintain independence, Ryan is close to getting settled back in his apartment with familiar faces surrounding him.

With a metal valve installed in his heart, he considers himself “a little bit bionic” now and closer to the “super hero” his mother considers him to be.

“I’m always amazed by him, by his attitude,” she said. “He definitely lifts me up.”

This past year Ryan has been too sick to participate in the activities he enjoys. “He is such a people person and misses that,” his mom said.

Living in group homes, most of the furniture is left behind by former tenants and Ryan didn’t have a bed. He was on a mattress that was falling apart on the floor, which isn't good for someone recovering from heart surgery, his mom said.

She said that she and her son are “best buds” but it's necessary for him to live where there's 24-hour care and careful management of his medications and schedule.

Ryan’s care team helped him reach out to Christmas for All for help providing a new bed frame and mattress. The right kind of hand-up will help Ryan fully recover and get back to the social life that feeds his soul.

“Learning to know and understand my son has been the biggest blessing,” his mother said. “Knowing him changes you.”

Each year, Press readers donate generously to the program. Every penny raised is distributed to Kootenai County residents. All overhead costs are covered by The Hagadone Corp.

The gift recipients are our neighbors who are struggling, including the elderly, disabled, veterans, homeless and mentally ill. Many who seek assistance from Christmas for All are working, but living in poverty.

Beneficiaries of Press Christmas for All keep their dignity while the community provides a hand up to help get them back on their feet.

Press Christmas for All is managed by The Hagadone Corp., with assistance from CharityReimagined.Org. It is a legally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers.

Here are four ways to donate:

• Mail a check to Press Christmas for All, 215 N. Second St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
• Call The Press and make a secure credit card donation over the phone: 208-664-8176
• Go to cdapress.com. Click on the MENU button, then click on Christmas for All 2021.
• Drop off your check at The Press weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.: 215 N. Second St. in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

RECENT DONORS

Kenny and Linda Johnson; Bill and Jean Hjort; Bill and Gail Everson; Angelika Bradford; Janet and John Smith; Leland and Lyndell Erwin; Donovan and Kerri Nagle; Craig and Connie Burkhart; Roger and Nancy Clark

DONORS OVER $500

Edward Schaffner; Mary Reynolds