Emily Progin, Content Manager
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Release: Immediate
$4,000 RAISED TO HELP 38-YEAR-OLD CARE FOR NEW HEART
After Heart Transplant in May, “Ryan Is Getting Stronger Every Day”
CONWAY, NH—On Mother’s Day, Ryan Murphy received a life-saving heart transplant after years of medical challenges. To help maintain his new heart, loved ones are fundraising through the trusted nonprofit Help Hope Live. $4,000 has already been raised in Ryan’s honor to offset medical and related expenses.
Ryan was diagnosed with heart failure in 2017 when he was just 29 years old, forcing an end to his job as an Applebee’s bartender and Fandangles Restaurant Fryeburg Fair worker. He received an LVAD device to keep his blood circulating, which meant being connected permanently to a battery back. He had to carefully maintain his health, a heightened concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Ryan’s diligence paid off and his LVAD was removed—something that happens in less than 2% of patients. But by the end of 2024, heart failure symptoms had returned, and Ryan was flown to Tufts Medical Center in Boston to await a heart transplant.
By his side throughout his time in the hospital was his loving mother, Kim, who fought with Ryan to stay strong and positive as they experienced a second battle with heart failure.
On May 11, 2025—Mother’s Day—Ryan received a life-changing heart transplant.
Now focused on keeping his new heart healthy, Ryan and his family started a fundraising campaign to assist with the extensive out-of-pocket costs associated with transplant recovery, including lifelong anti-rejection medications.
Donations can be made at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/25577/
As Kim explained, “Help Hope Live is not like a GoFundMe. It is strictly to help pay for medical and related expenses. It is also tax deductible for those who donate.”
Ryan’s community has already rallied to raise $4,000 in his honor.
As the community lends him financial help at a time of need, Ryan responds with strength and dedication: “Ryan is getting stronger every day,” Kim shared on May 24. “Ryan is the ultimate warrior, and he will get through every hurdle with the strongest will.”
Ryan is so much more than his medical diagnosis. With a fast smile, sassy nature, and ferocious loyalty to his friends, he’s been a lover of Britney Spears since childhood—“His room was plastered with magazine cutouts,” explained Kim. “He knows her choreography like her best backup dancers! He finds solace in his body’s ability to move, always challenging himself. He has always wanted to run faster and hike farther on a newly-blazed trail—and that’s also how you could describe his entire life.”
All funds raised will be administered by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies medical and financial need for every patient.
Help Hope Live is a national nonprofit that specializes in engaging communities in secure, tax-deductible fundraising campaigns for people who need a transplant or are affected by a catastrophic injury or illness. Since 1983, campaigns organized by Help Hope Live have raised over $188 million to pay patient expenses. ###
