UPDATE:

Happy New Year to all! I hope that everyone had a nice, calm, relaxing time with family and friends over the holiday season. My most recent appointment at the Ohio State Heart Clinic in December went very well. We saw my cardiologist Dr. Cook, the bright doctor that is heading this valuable research, and he was very pleased with the results of this latest MRI scan. This is another small victory for those afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). The good news that my heart is still functioning properly gives me hope. Not only a hope that we can in fact beat this disease, but a hope that we can continue to spread the word about this very important research. I hope that we can use this past year’s success as a spring board to truly aid this great cause. This good news keeps me going and lets me know that we are making a difference. Even though it may be a small difference we are still committing ourselves to doing all we can to spread the good news and raise funds and awareness for this crucial research. As I say to everyone I speak to about BallouSkies, “This research can help many boys affected with DMD, but it can lead down so many different avenues to help those affected with many other disorders”. This fact further cements my belief in this battle. So many people could benefit from this research. So many heart problems could be diagnosed and possibly prevented. Treatments can be prescribed before a major problem cannot be fixed. We are talking about gaining more knowledge and more extensive treatments to preserve the most important piece of our body, the heart. I do not see any reason why we should not pursue this critical research.

I am asking everyone to help spread the word. If you can donate that is great. One dollar, five dollars, it does not matter every little bit helps. Even if you cannot donate let your family and friends know about this cause. We want to spread the word to every one. We want every individual to get involved. Knowledge is a powerful tool, and with this research we can use it to our advantage. The more people that know, the more support we get, and we need support just as much as we need donations. We have had great support and donations since the start. I only ask that this support continues in the upcoming year. Visit Facebook and join the BallouSkies cause page!!

This year my new year’s resolution is to raise even more awareness and funds for the OSU Heart Clinic. Please aid us in our battle against this disease. I ask everyone to reflect upon themselves and consider the facts. It would be foolish not to pursue this research. I hope that everyone has a great start to their year. I look forward to continued success. All of the support is tremendous and I thank every single individual who has donated or has told someone about BallouSkies. Without any of you this would not be possible. Here’s to a great year of spreading awareness and of fundraising. I cannot wait to work my hardest to have continued success as we had in the first year of the charity. Hope all is well!

BIOGRAPHY:

My name is Ryan Ballou and I am twenty-two years old. I am currently employed and working towards a college degree in the near future. My family and I are also heavily involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and that is because since birth, I have been afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a degenerative muscle disorder that affects all muscles within the body. There are over 40 different variations with this type of muscular dystrophy which only affects boys. My family and I have had to cope with this disease and all of its complications my entire life. It is sometimes a challenge, but we always pull together and deal with whatever test is put in front of us from this disorder. However, we feel that it should not stop there. Not only can we deal with the disease, but we can also combat this disease by spreading awareness. As a family, we have volunteered at the MDA Labor Day Telethon for as long as I can remember. Also, I have given numerous speeches to parents of afflicted boys. Through this medium, I hope to spread awareness to these parents and let them know that there is hope. Nevertheless, my family and I believe that we could do something more to aid this cause. My father, Ty, along with our input, started a charity called BallouSkies to help spread more awareness and even raise money for research.

The amazing part of this whole story is that at age twenty-two, my heart is still healthy and functioning as it should. This is crucial because as time passes, all muscles are affected by Muscular Dystrophy, and as we all know, the heart is the most important muscle of all. Also, the risk of heart complications increases with each passing year. Not all boys that are affected by this disease are as fortunate as me to have a healthy heart. Many of these boys, some even younger than me, are facing heart problems or will at some point in their lives due to the disease. My family and I believe that this is a very important issue. If we could somehow slow down or even stop these heart complications, better treatment or maybe even a cure are very possible one day. The main focus of BallouSkies is to raise awareness for this research and gain funds to aid the heart clinic at Ohio State University (OSU). Here, Dr. Stephen Cook and his team of doctors are actually using MRI technology to scan the heart. The doctors take a patient with DMD and scan their heart. These MRI scans show the doctor a patient’s heart from every angle and every aspect of the heart can be scrutinized. At Ohio State’s clinic, they are testing boys of different ages with this technique. The goal of this is to check for scarring and other heart problems and then track these problems with future MRI’s. This would allow boys and their families to know if there is a complication before it may become untreatable. This can help DMD patients and anybody with heart problems. This research can lead to breakthroughs and may even aid in curing this incapacitating disorder along with many others.

This disease offers many challenges and complications, but with this treatment, we may be able to take some of the worry off of the families and the individuals actually suffering from this disorder. With this research, we could find treatments and learn even more from all of the data collected. Imagine longer life spans, and a better quality of life. This research, I feel, would be foolish to pass up. As I said, this research can lead to cutting edge treatments of any heart ailment, not just in those caused by Muscular Dystrophy. If we can help to slow down the deterioration of the heart, this may lead to other muscles and in turn could aid in finding a cure. As I have repeated, the heart is the powerhouse that runs our entire body and allows us to live. Therefore, I believe this is one of the most important avenues of research to follow.

One hundred percent of the money raised by BallouSkies goes to the heart clinic at OSU which allows them to perform the MRI procedure and collect the data. That is why my family and I are trying our hardest to raise awareness. I am almost positive that many who read this will agree with me and find that it would be a shame if this research could not take place. Please help my family and me to help, not only myself, but all boys affected by DMD and all those affected by other forms of Muscular Dystrophy. Every little bit helps and together we can achieve the main goal of healthier hearts and longer life spans. We can battle the disease together and through our efforts, gain insight and create treatments that could help counter act the affects of this debilitating disease.