John Ryder, a 25-year volunteer with Duke Heart, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Tom Owens, MD, president of Duke University Hospital, on January 17. Ryder helped start our patient support program in 1992, which helps patients and their families cope with the challenges of being a heart patient. Ryder has volunteered thousands of hours at Duke. He is also a heart attack survivor.

“It’s very fulfilling to help these patients feel better,” said Ryder. “I often see a veil of fear lifted from their faces when I joke with them. I tell them that at Duke, they’re seeing the best heart mechanics on the planet. And, that always brings a smile to their face.”

Ryder said that volunteering has been a personal blessing for him, and that he feels he has touched many lives.

Indeed, Ryder has been a blessing to us as well.