Ryan began HOPE looking to help a child with special needs learn something, but as it turned out, Ryan may have learned more from a three-year-old. Ryan recalls his first interaction with Airyn, his HOPE buddy: “When I entered class for the first day, I was immediately drawn to a little three year-old boy who eagerly limped around the class chasing a ball.” Where some may have expected despair, Ryan found hope. “Instead of being taken aback by this predicament,” Ryan says, “I found Airyn’s enthusiasm magnetic, and we immediately began a simple game of catch with the ball he was chasing.”

From then on, each week Ryan eagerly looked forward to the time he spent with Airyn and “we quickly bonded over our love of sports.” Airyn has a brittle bone condition which causes him to frequently break his bones, particularly his legs and lower extremities. Given Airyn’s bone condition, Ryan relays an extraordinary amount of strength that his HOPE buddy possesses: “Airyn has broken his leg four times since we met just over a year ago. While many would pout and quit when facing such difficulties, Airyn has bounced back from each successive injury with a determination that few hold, especially young children.” Accordingly, Ryan has been inspired by Airyn “to respond to adversity with optimism and hard work, and I will forever try to follow in his little, staggered footprints.”