Brian was a junior and on the dean’s honor list at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying biomedical engineering and computer science. He truly loved his college experience and formed an amazing second family away from home. We are comforted knowing he was the happiest he’d ever been especially after recently landing an internship as a biomedical engineering intern at Medtronic in the cardiac rhythm and heart failure division of all places.

Just a normal day in the life of a college student during exam week, Brian was in his apartment all day studying on and off for a test. He had been complaining of what he thought was an abscessed tooth for a day and a half. He still had one more final exam, but it became very painful. He called home complaining it was getting worse which was unusual for Brian.

I called his doctor to get him an antibiotic to help until he got home. They rightfully refused as he was too far away to be evaluated. I then urged Brian to go to the immediate care, but he thought it could wait. I also urged him to call his doctor which he did as we noticed that they were his last three phone calls.

Brian’s roommate was studying in the next room and after we contacted him, he went to check on Brian and found him sitting up in his chair, already gone. It had been a couple hours since he was last seen acting normally. We were told nothing was found wrong with the tooth or with Brian. We now suspect it was a sudden cardiac arrest.

Brian’s goal was to find a career “ to improve the quality of life for others”. He always listened to others and made them feel like they mattered. We miss him so much and think about him every day. Brian was brilliant, humble, and kind. He made a great impact on many lives. It’s still hard to believe he’s not going to walk through the door from school with a big smile on his face, dragging in his pile of dirty laundry. He always ended the day saying or texting  “I love you”. The summer before his death, we had secretly recorded Brian playing Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe” on the guitar – it has become our motto for moving forward.

We are so grateful for the help we received from the SADS Foundation. They were here for us to guide us on our journey. They were our lifeline, helping us navigate next steps for evaluating Brian’s younger brother. They continue to support us through informative e-newsletters, educational family webinars, and the virtual family conference where we connect with world experts and other SADS families. We ask that in memory of Brian, you please take a moment to donate to the SADS Foundation.

My son, Sonny Jude, went unresponsive (stopped breathing and his precious heart stopped beating) at six months old.  His babysitter saw this and performed CPR and resuscitated him.  It was then we learned that Sonny Jude has LQTS (Long QT Syndrome).  In October 2022, when he was 13 months old, I put him down for a nap and he didn’t wake up.

My baby boy, Sonny Jude was the most loving, sweet, bright soul I’ve ever known.  In his short life, he made such an impact on everyone who had the honor of knowing him.  His smile would light up a room, he only ever knew love and happiness.  He loved waving to everyone. He loved laughing, smiling, playing, being outside, swinging, playing in the splash pad, snuggling, climbing stairs, his dogs, Paw Patrol, Bluey, french fries, and most importantly being around the people he loved. Sonny Jude especially loved his big sister Lyla, they were the best of friends, he loved learning from her and playing with his big sister.  His first word was “Lyla” or as he said “Wy-wa.”

My favorite memory of Sonny Jude is actually the whole summer before he passed.  We spent nearly every day at his grandparent’s house, playing on the splash pad or in their little pool with his big sister, Lyla.  Splashing in the water, sitting on the swing with us, lounging on the lawn, plucking blades of grass and offering them to us or the dogs, and always waving ‘hi’ to everyone for every occasion.

I’m trying to transition my grief and devastation into something positive.  Sonny Jude was a happy boy, and I want to put some of that positive and loving energy back into my community to bring awareness to arrhythmias, and how important learning CPR is. 

Sonny was always up early and loved pancakes, so it seemed right for our first fundraiser to be a Pancake Breakfast on February 19, 2022.  We wanted to raise funds and awareness for the SADS Foundation, and put fliers out at Lyla’s school, dance studio, and the local YMCA.

February 19th I held my first fundraiser, the first I’ve ever done. The SADS Foundation is specific to what my little Sonny Jude had, and they’ve been so helpful in assisting me with fundraising.

CPR is so important.  A 16 year old babysitter that had taken CPR revived Sonny In March 2021.  It doesn’t matter how old you are when learning CPR, as every second counts when you can save a life.

My goal with the Sonny Jude Foundation is to educate the general public about heart arrhythmia syndromes, bring awareness to the importance of CPR and to bring joy to others through a variety of fundraisers, projects, volunteer work and also through random acts of kindness, specifically with our “Have a Sonny Day” project. I look forward to making our Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser annual, and look forward to continuing working with SADS.

Donate Here #24ForRy

On Christmas of 2016, my brother Ryan had passed away in his sleep. At 24 years old, he was a young, healthy, and motivated individual who was just getting ready to take hold of his independent life. His brilliance and work ethic had led him through successes at Iona Prep High School and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. However, his intelligence was second to his generosity and loving nature. Ryan had embraced the role of being the eldest sibling as he would always make time for family. Whether it was taking me to six flags or driving my sister hours to watch the Women’s World Cup, he never fell short of showing how much he loved us. He was also a charismatic fiancé to his high school sweetheart in which he would have spread his joy to a family of his own. He was on a path in life that would have been filled with success and many moments of making others laugh and smile as he so often did.

Today, there is still no answer as to why Ryan had passed away that night. That brought me to The SADS Foundation, the leader for research in the field of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. I wanted to start this fund with an event in which people would run 24 minutes July 31st, 2021 to honor Ryan and raise awareness and donations to SADS. The money donated to this foundation will allow for further medical research and development for the leading medical professionals in the field of Sudden Arrhythmic Death. As there are thousands of individuals and families that are heartbroken from SADS, there is still much work to do. I appreciate you listening to his story and I hope one day your donation and awareness can help save a life like Ryan’s. As Ryan’s senior yearbook states, “The greatest investments people can ever make are investments in those around them.” #24ForRy