To date we have helped children, their families and the medical community with the money raised by our efforts. To learn more about where our funds are going click here.

Our Trustees have been looking to fund Doctors and Hospitals who are leading providers of acute medical care for pediatric heart patients. The challenge becomes, which Hospitals and Doctors to fund? Recently we met with Dr. Marshal Jacobs, the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Jacobs is also a Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine. We met Dr. Jacobs in 1996 at Deborah Heart and Lung Center in New Jersey. He was the Chief of Surgery at the time, and our son Ryan’s Heart Surgeon.

My wife Lauren and I talked at length with Dr. Jacobs about the RAKMF, and how we would like to help other kids and their families in the fight against congenital heart disease. Our goal initially was to have a local presence since the fund was only in its first year. We spoke about our concern about funding the “right” Doctors and Hospitals, and just how much we can give.

A few weeks passed until we spoke again about an organization that represents almost 100 leading heart surgeons performing pediatric heart surgery at some of the best medical centers in North America, and even some in South America. Its is called the CHSS, Congenital Heart Surgeon's Society www.chssdc.org.

The general goal of this organization is to improve the care of patients with congenital heart disease through the exchange of ideas with their peers. This is accomplished through open dialogue on new surgical approaches, therapies, academic studies and in most general terms, the sharing of surgical data relevant to improving the outcomes of children facing potentially several open-heart procedures.

The CHSS also supports the CHSS Data Center and research staff, which basically studies multi-institutional outcomes research concerning selected diagnoses and forms of therapy within the realm of Congenital Heart Disease. This data is used to look back on past operative methods to decide how to improve upon them.

Our Trustees believe that is would be a wonderful way for the RAKMF, in Ryan's memory, to contribute to the improvement in the care of children with congenital heart disease.

Should you have or know of a family or an organization that could use our help, please send an e-mail to ryansrun@mhipartners.com