HAAM Member Stories: Bear Ryan

Singer-songwriter Bear Ryan discusses her healthcare journey, including a carpal tunnel syndrome surgery that "gave her her life back."
A barber by day and guitarist/vocalist by night, Bear relies on her hands for her livelihood. When she developed debilitating pain and numbness in both of her hands two years ago, she had no choice but to cut back on both performing and barbering.
“It was terrifying,” she said. “The pain at night was unbearable to where I couldn’t sleep. I really thought it was going to be a career ender for both barbering and playing the guitar.”
Bear was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and needed surgery. However, the health insurance she had at the time had a relatively high deductible. Fortunately, during 2022 open enrollment, Foundation Communities and HAAM staff helped her find a more affordable plan with no deductible.
“I cried tears of joy on the phone when I found out. I knew this meant I could get the surgery,” she said.
Dr. David Ring, an orthopedic hand surgery specialist with UT Health Austin performed Bear’s surgery in March 2023 at Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas. Within a month, Bear was back on stage and seeing a full roster of clients again.
In addition to helping her access this life-changing surgery, Bear credits HAAM with helping her keep her health on track.
“I existed for so long without health coverage, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around that I can go to doctors,” she said. “I love that HAAM reminds me about things like getting my hearing checked out and starting my annual mammograms.
“Having HAAM and health coverage is a huge factor in my decision to set down roots here in Austin,” Bear said.