2021 Pony Express Photo Gallery

Meet RayLynn LeeAnn Hess

Raylynn is fun loving five year old little girl that is full of life, and loves all the things

about life. She loves all animals- especially dogs, cats and horses. Her favorite colors

are pink and purple, and she loves to draw and color.

Raylynn was just 18 hours old when she was diagnosed with a condition called

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. It is a severe congenital heart defect in which the left

side of the heart is underdeveloped. As a newborn, she faced 3 phases of surgeries to

correct the flow to save her life. Her last major surgery was on November 28, 2023, to

reroute a major blood vessel to the lungs to give her overworked heart support and relief.

She has had complications from her condition and will be faced with medical concerns

for the rest of her life. Her mom is a struggling single parent, as Raylynn’s dad died in a

vehicle accident a month before Raylynn was born.

The Van Buren County Sheriff Mounted Division is sponsoring Raylynn LeeAnn Hess as

the recipient for our 2024 MSMA Pony Express fundraiser