Ryan McKay Casper
April 13, 1983 ~ January 25, 2011
On January 24th our dear friend, Ryan McKay Casper, suffered a brain aneurysm and had no brain function. Thursday, January 27th, he was removed from life support. He was 27 years old.
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Ryan was Jared's best friend and the Best Man at our wedding.
We are devastated but take comfort that he is in no more pain and in a much better place.
We are devastated but take comfort that he is in no more pain and in a much better place.
He suffered much during his life. His kidneys failed him at an early age. He had two kidney transplants which resulted in both kidneys failing a short while after surgery.
In between the two transplants when Ryan was on the list, Jared decided that he would go ahead and get tested to see if he was a match. All the preliminary tests concluded that he was!
They ran tests for months. (I guess the screening process on a live kidney is much more complex then on a cadaver kidney) All of the more complex tests resulted in a go ahead! Surgery was scheduled Monday for the following Monday! (Sorry, I can't remember the dates!)
We prepared for Jared to have a very comfortable recovery. He quit his job, we had savings, we had babysitters for Brandon so that I could be with Jare and Ry, and I took all of my vacation time off work starting the day they would go into surgery.
Wednesday, after the surgery was scheduled, Jared got a call from U of U hospital explaining that they needed just one more blood draw to check one more thing before surgery. Jared went in Thursday for the blood draw. Friday we got a call from the hospital saying that the test results weren't good and that they had to cancel surgery. (If these results showed in a cadaver, they would've still gone ahead with the surgery)
Jared was heartbroken that he couldn't help his best friend and it was Ryan that comforted him.
That was just one of the many things that we experienced with Ryan. BIG things. I was newly divorced and just started dating Jared when I met Ryan & Ken. (Ryan and Ken were best friends from way back and they were always together! LUV KEN!)
I was unsure about much.. I didn't trust anyone to take care of me.. I was a single mom and my son wasn't going to go through this again..
~Those were some of the thoughts I had at that time~
Ryan would calm my nerves and talk to me about Jared and how he'd never met anyone like Jared and that Jared was the one for me. I listened. I am so happy I did! He was right!
I had to have part of my shoulder blade removed and I had never been put under in a hospital before (wisdom teeth was my only "Going Under" experience & that was at the Dentist's Office) and I was very anxious and scared. Ryan talked me through it. I had to travel about an hour North to the hospital, very early in the morning. Jared and I had Brandon stay at our parents house so that we could leave early. I remember how freaked out I was. I was told to dress in gowns, wear compression tights, hair net, slippers, take off all of my jewelry, etc..
I was beside myself sitting up in the hospital bed waiting for them to take me when Ryan walked around the corner into the hospital room. He took that hour long drive early in the morning to be there when I went under. He said he was a pro at it and that I was going to be fine! I don't think he will ever understand how much that meant to me.
These are just a few of the experiences we shared. I love him so much as a brother and I know that he'll be there when Jared and I make our journeys home!
We love you, Ryan!
In between the two transplants when Ryan was on the list, Jared decided that he would go ahead and get tested to see if he was a match. All the preliminary tests concluded that he was!
They ran tests for months. (I guess the screening process on a live kidney is much more complex then on a cadaver kidney) All of the more complex tests resulted in a go ahead! Surgery was scheduled Monday for the following Monday! (Sorry, I can't remember the dates!)
We prepared for Jared to have a very comfortable recovery. He quit his job, we had savings, we had babysitters for Brandon so that I could be with Jare and Ry, and I took all of my vacation time off work starting the day they would go into surgery.
Wednesday, after the surgery was scheduled, Jared got a call from U of U hospital explaining that they needed just one more blood draw to check one more thing before surgery. Jared went in Thursday for the blood draw. Friday we got a call from the hospital saying that the test results weren't good and that they had to cancel surgery. (If these results showed in a cadaver, they would've still gone ahead with the surgery)
Jared was heartbroken that he couldn't help his best friend and it was Ryan that comforted him.
That was just one of the many things that we experienced with Ryan. BIG things. I was newly divorced and just started dating Jared when I met Ryan & Ken. (Ryan and Ken were best friends from way back and they were always together! LUV KEN!)
I was unsure about much.. I didn't trust anyone to take care of me.. I was a single mom and my son wasn't going to go through this again..
~Those were some of the thoughts I had at that time~
Ryan would calm my nerves and talk to me about Jared and how he'd never met anyone like Jared and that Jared was the one for me. I listened. I am so happy I did! He was right!
I had to have part of my shoulder blade removed and I had never been put under in a hospital before (wisdom teeth was my only "Going Under" experience & that was at the Dentist's Office) and I was very anxious and scared. Ryan talked me through it. I had to travel about an hour North to the hospital, very early in the morning. Jared and I had Brandon stay at our parents house so that we could leave early. I remember how freaked out I was. I was told to dress in gowns, wear compression tights, hair net, slippers, take off all of my jewelry, etc..
I was beside myself sitting up in the hospital bed waiting for them to take me when Ryan walked around the corner into the hospital room. He took that hour long drive early in the morning to be there when I went under. He said he was a pro at it and that I was going to be fine! I don't think he will ever understand how much that meant to me.
These are just a few of the experiences we shared. I love him so much as a brother and I know that he'll be there when Jared and I make our journeys home!
We love you, Ryan!
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