North Texas woman creates YouTube channel dedicated to helping single women, widows
HALTOM CITY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — If there's such a thing as an ideal marriage, Ryane and John Moates had it.
The couple married after college, had two beautiful daughters, and both had successful careers.
But in the spring of 2021, after 30 joyful years together, everything changed when the tire on John's bike slipped off a ramp during a trail ride in Haltom City.
"He like somersaulted forward and he just smashed into the ground," Ryane said. "And when he did, his bike flipped back over him and landed on his back, and he snapped his neck when he hit the ground. He instantly became a quadriplegic."
John survived, but never made it out of the hospital. He died less than two months later.
Through her grief, as she tried to adjust to life as widow and a single mom, Ryane soon realized she wasn't equipped to handle even the most basic household task.
That's because during their marriage, John had done everything for her.
"I was a pampered princess. And I just didn't realize that he did everything," Ryane said.
She can laugh now—but at the time, the realization was nearly overwhelming.
"I didn't have any skills. I didn't know how to take care of the lawn. I didn't know how to take care of the cars, all of the different things you have to do with cars, and access the banking and bills online and things like that. I just didn't know. I didn't know that stuff," she said.
And then, 11 months after her husband's accident, she experienced what would become a pivotal moment in her life.
"So my shower broke. The faucet of the shower broke, and it broke in the 'on' position," Ryane said.
A neighbor helped her turn off the water at the street; However, it was a Saturday night and a plumber couldn't come out until another 36 hours, and now her entire house was without running water.
In complete despair, Ryane says a blessing came in the form of a plumber who was able to video chat with her. He told her which supplies and tools she needed, and walked her through the entire repair.
"He literally talked me through fixing the whole shower. And it wasn't just a simple thing. I mean, I disassembled the shower, and took pieces out and put pieces in, reassembled it, and caulked it," she said.
In a matter of hours, she went from utter despair to absolute elation.
Ryane says not long after the shower repair, she was flooded with inspiration—a plan for her to help other women the same way she'd been helped.
That's when Ryane to the Rescue was born, a YouTube channel where she began to tackle new challenges.
Her daughter, Olivia, helps shoot and edit her videos and in just the last few months, she's gained several hundred subscribers, and the response has been tremendous.
"I want to help widows and single women and anyone else who wants to listen. I want to help them power through that moment of despair and darkness and tackle that thing that they don't think that they can do and then feel power after," Ryane said. "I want women to know there is still hope and life and joy and a purpose after loss."
