Jacob Ryan Steelman
November 24, 1994-May 31, 2016
Born with great fanfare on Thanksgiving Day in 1994, Ryan continued to live his life in a grand and exuberant way. From his ability to talk his way into and out of anything, to his generous and kind spirit, with both friends and strangers, Ryan was a force to be reckoned with. Ryan passed on May 31, 2016 from a motorcycle accident. Since then, #GiveLife4Ryan has been a way to keep Ryan's memory alive and a way to honor the 21 years we had with him.
About
Ryan
His great loves were music and his guitar, playing in a band, adventure, reading and learning. Always a student, he questioned everything, and while that sometimes frustrated those who raised him, it also made him easy to talk to, and open to hearing personal stories. He was truly fearless, recently traveling alone to explore New York City, making friends along the way.
His friends and family cherished his kindness, humor, and above all his deep loyalty to those that he cared about, which number in the hundreds. He leaves an unfillable space in both our lives and in the world.
Why #GiveLife4Ryan
During birth, Ryan did not have enough blood and needed blood transfusions to survive. He was born at Vanderbilt. Thankfully, they had his rare blood type on hand and could act fast. Because of gracious blood donors, Ryan was given life, and we are incredibly thankful for that.
On May 31, 2016, we lost Ryan in a motorcycle accident. He impacted a countless amount of people with his free-spirit and gigantic heart. In honor and memory of Ryan's incredible and adventurous life, we have been partnering with the Red Cross since 2017 to allow others to save lives in the way that Ryan's was saved.
Blood donors gave us 21 years with Ryan that we will forever be grateful for. We are so thankful that we can keep Ryan's memory alive through #GIVELIFE4RYAN.