As an infant, my younger brother Ryan was diagnosed with an extremely rare and little-researched condition called cutaneovisceral angiomatosis with thrombocytopenia (CVAT). The disorder is characterized by multiple vascular tumors and lesions in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, spleen, skin, bones, and nervous system. At the time of his diagnosis, little was known about the extent of the disease or its outcome, and he was one of only ten known cases worldwide. His symptoms included low blood platelet levels, which resulted in internal bleeding. At his sickest, his lungs were filled with blood, and he was immobile due to multiple fractures from bone lesions. 

Throughout the first five years of Ryan's life, Boston Children's Hospital became my family's second home. Ryan averaged 50 inpatient days a year under the careful eye of the Children's Vascular Anomalies Center, which is internationally renowned for pioneering the vascular anomalies field.  He underwent countless treatments such as chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and experimental drug therapies under the care of a highly-specialized team of gastroenterologists, hematologists, pulmonary specialists, dermatologists, and pathologists. And while CVAT was deemed incurable, Children's doctors transformed Ryan's case into a manageable condition. 

Today, I am incredibly grateful to say that Ryan is one of the lucky ones. At 23 years old, he is the oldest living person with CVAT and has been in remission for nearly 17 years. He lives a healthy, happy, and full life, a reality that would not have been possible without the expertise and compassion of the team at Boston Children's Hospital.

Our family would not be whole without Children's, and I've seen firsthand the courage of the patients and families who pass through its doors. That's why I've joined the Miles for Miracles team: to give back to the hospital that gave my brother, and my family, a second chance.

Every dollar I raise will help fund world-class care, groundbreaking research, and essential family support services at Boston Children's Hospital. Your donation will:

• Help children from across the world get a second chance at life;
  

• Provide care for kids battling the most complex diseases,
  care they can't find anywhere else;
  

• Fuel over 6,500 researchers and scientific staff working toward new treatments and cures;
  

• Support programs like music and art therapy, allowing kids to simply be kids;
  

• Assist families in crisis with essentials like food, clothing, and housing;
  

• Deliver compassionate, leading-edge care to every child who needs it.
  
  

Please consider supporting my fundraising efforts and helping the incredible kids and families at Boston Children's Hospital. Together, we can create more stories of hope, just like Ryan's.