After surviving a near-fatal shooting while walking Lady Gaga's dogs, Ryan Fischer is opening up about the obstacles in his journey to healing.
On Monday, Aug. 16, Ryan revealed his current circumstances while sharing his GoFundMe campaign page in hopes of gaining monetary support. Explaining that he had to give up his car rental a few days ago, he also opened up about traveling across the country after leaving the Hollywood Hills for his "emotional and mental" health.
"A few days ago, I said goodbye to Trudy, a quasi-reliable 1991 Ford Falcon rental that drove like a boat in high wind," he wrote on his GoFundMe page. "With just me, Trudy, 3 stuffed animals that resemble dogs I care for very much, and WAY too many personal items, across the US we teetered along for two months. At times I was scared. I was lonely. I felt abandoned and unsupported. I had long bouts of depression and doubt and self-pity."
"But those backroads that took me to desert campsites," he continued. "And Walmart parking lots and rest stops and friends and family to New York and back began to help me see why I had chosen to leave the security of the Hollywood Hills where I fought for my life and mobility."
Ryan was shot in the chest in late February while walking two of the pop star's French bulldogs. In April, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that five individuals had been arrested for their alleged role in the dognapping case, with each suspect pleading not guilty to the charges. Following the incident, Ryan underwent multiple surgeries to repair a collapsed lung.
Of his recovery, he added, "All that time spent reclaiming my body, I now needed to be equally devoted to strengthening my emotional and mental health. Having that understanding helped me frame what I need from the rest of this sabbatical: getting a van and exploring this country while seeking out communities that support the process of growing from trauma."
Noting that he is now without a vehicle, apartment, and his savings, Ryan hopes to receive help through his campaign, which has managed to raise almost $4,000 out of its $40,000 goal within one day after the posting.
"Having run out of savings and surviving on donations from generous loved ones, I am humbly asking for your help," he wrote. "This is not an easy thing to ask, but I have started to realize sharing your vulnerability with others is exactly when radical change begins to occur for everyone involved."
Ryan first opened up about the difficulty of his process in an Instagram post earlier this year. "Along with the media attention and trauma recovery," he wrote back in May, "I am—for the first time in a very long time—without purpose, which has been the hardest part of this chapter. Because I'm not yet in the proper headspace to care for dogs (whenever I perceive a dog is in danger I go on high alert and then break down and cry after), my purpose for the last ten years has suddenly vanished."
At the time of the shooting, Lady Gaga publicly shared her support for Ryan by tweeting, "You risked your life to fight for our family. You're forever a hero."