When Ryan was about 4 months old we started noticing he wasn't putting any pressure on his feet.  With him still being pretty young we weren't overly concerned but continued to keep a close eye.  As he started getting older he continued to have delays with his gross motor functions, rolling over, sitting up, crawling and standing were really hard for him.  He also started having speech delays which we thought were due to numerous ear infections but when he still continued to have speech delays after he received ear tubes we knew there was something new there.  We had already been working with specialists at Boston Children's and continued to do so and that's when in March 2024 an MRI showed that Ryan has damage to the white matter in his brain.

While we believe that this is the main reason for his speech delays and muscle weakness we are still working closely with many at Boston Children's to determine Ryan's official diagnosis.  From the very beginning and as we continue to work with Boston Children's we cannot put into our words our extreme gratitude to everyone who's been involved with Ryan's care - the expertise, dedication and especially the compassion we have experienced.

Ryan is making tremendous progress with his language and is getting stronger everyday that we truly feel he will be able to walk on his own.  I'm so inspired by Ryan everyday and how hard he works because we know its not easy for him.

Ryan is the sweetest kid and watching him work through hard times with a smile on his face has inspired me to join the Miles for Miracles team to help Ryan as well as all the brave kids at Boston Children's Hospital.

Every dollar I raise funds the very best medical care, breakthrough research and vital support services for sick kids and their families. Your gift will:

• help children from your town and across the world get a second chance at life;
• give kids battling the most complex diseases care they can't find anywhere else;
• fuel 3,000+ researchers working to develop new treatments and cures;
• support patient programs, like music and art therapy, to let kids be kids, even during long hospital stays;
• help patient families in crisis with urgent needs, such as food, clothing and housing;
• deliver the most compassionate, leading-edge care to every child who needs it. 

Please support my fundraising and help the incredible kids and families at Boston Children's Hospital. 

THANK YOU & See you at the finish line :)

-Ashley Jenkins