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Story by Susan Guyett
The Indianapolis Star
The public was told in September that the Emmy Award-winning journalist and her husband, Kevin O'Keefe, lost their baby, Sean michael. Only family and friends knew that Ryder was near death after a torn uterus went undetected for hours.
She went into shock, bled internally and at one point was put on a respirator to help her breathe.
The pregnancy, Ryder said, was a difficult one from the start, but there was never an indication that the baby's placenta was attached to scar tissue.
"I was literally a time bomb," she said.
The day of the miscarriage, Ryder was with her daughter, Jennifer, when she started having trouble breathing. With most of her family at the Notre Dame-Purdue football game, Ryder used a cell phone to call a friend to care for the 5-year-old as she was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
"I didn't know what happened, but I knew something was wrong right away. In five minutes, I was having trouble breathing," Ryder said.
The baby was alive when she was admitted to Indiana University Hospital. Tests didn't detect the torn uterus, but everyone knew something was seriously wrong, she said, recalling how her heart raced and her breathing became more difficult.
The 43-year-old journalist recalls being frightened and frustrated.
"I felt completely out of control, and there was nothing I could do," she said. "I have never been in such a situation where I felt I could not get a breath. It was terrifying."
By the time she was wheeled into surgery, her uterus had ruptured, the baby was dead and she had lost a great deal of blood. Surgeons removed her uterus.
The anchor, who is known for her "Hope to Tell" stories of people who overcome adversity through faith and strength of character, could be the subject of one of her own reports.
"My faith has never been more important to me than throughout all of this," she said.
The love of family and friends, the messages from viewers and the personal stories people have shared have been comforting, she said.
She's thankful she and her husband were able to spend time with the baby, who weighed less than 2 pounds, and that they have a birth certificate with his tiny footprints on the back.
Her colleagues are looking forward to having her back to work at Channel 13, The Star's newsgathering partner.
"She is a major force in this newsroom," said assistant news director Carolyn Williams.
Ryder reduced her number of hours at the station earlier this year so that she could spend more time at home with her husband and daughter. She said she never considered not returning to work, although she's needed the weeks off to regain her health and deal with the loss.
"I have heard from a lot of people who have been through a lot of pain," she said, "and in a strange sort of way, it helps me more than people know."
Memorial contributions for Sean Michael O'Keefe can be sent to the Riley Memorial Association, to benefit Riley Hospital for Children. For information, call 1-317-634-4474.
