About
#redballoonsforryan is a hashtag used to solicit memories of and kind messages for the parents of three-year-old Ryan Saldana, who was hit by a truck and died on May 2nd, 2014.
Background
On May 2nd, 2014, Ryan Saldana was playing in his cousin’s yard in Alta Loma, California[1] when he ran into the street and was hit and killed by a passing truck. The hashtag #redballoonsforryan was created by Alissa Circle[3], a friend of Ryan’s mother Jacqui Saldana, who introduced it on a post on her blog Diary of An Addict[4] published on May 5th. In the post she explains the hashtag can be a way to ensure Ryan will not be forgotten. In less than a week the hashtag[2] was tweeted out over 6,000 times.
Notable Developments
GoFundMe Page
On May 6th, 2014, Kelly Frances Garrett created a GoFundMe page[5] for Ryan’s family to, “help alleviate ryan’s family of some of the funeral costs and loss of income during their time of grief.” The goal was set at $25,000, and within 48 hours the page had raised over $50,000.
External References
[1]Pasadena Star News – Social media outpouring of #RedBalloonsforRyan helps grieving South Pasadena family
[2]Topsy- #RedBalloonsForRyan
[3]Newser- #RedBalloonsforRyan Goes Viral After 3-Year-Old Killed
[4]Diary of An Addict- #RedBalloonsforRyan Goes Viral After 3-Year-Old Killed
[5]GoFundMe- red balloons for ryan