Last Updated on March 30, 2023

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our Co-Founder and COO, Ryan DeBaun (July 1979 – May 2022)

Ryan DeBaun, 43, grew up in New Jersey and graduated from the University of Georgia, with a degree in Journalism. He was the son of DefenderShield CEO, Daniel DeBaun. They started DefenderShield together over 11 years ago with the dream of being able to help people all over the world reduce their daily exposure to EMF radiation, an invisible toxin in our digital world that research is only beginning to measure the potential impacts of. What started as a few basement prototypes made to protect family and close friends became an International company that prides itself on being the trusted advisor in EMF protection and safety, with the most effective EMF shielding in the world. Ryan also co-authored the popular book, Radiation Nation, with his father Dan. Ryan wanted to help as many people as he could, and his extreme passion, dedication, and commitment helped DefenderShield become the global leader it is today. He was deep, kind, caring, and a fast friend to everyone on the DefenderShield staff. His creative background and technical expertise early in his career as a manager, producer, creative director, designer, and writer for some of the largest media companies in the world helped Ryan and Dan achieve their mission and raise awareness for an important public health issue that is still missing the attention it deserves.

Ryan’s legacy and the impact his company has had on various individuals around the world is unmatched. Ryan always had a passion for health and wellness, which is reflected in DefenderShield’s core values. Even so, Ryan suffered a long and challenging battle with anxiety and depression that started in college. His 20-year battle with mental illness was kept well-hidden from most who knew Ryan, and he never stopped trying to fix and improve his mental health. With holistic health and wellness built into our company’s culture, we are heartbroken that Ryan suffered through this stress, anxiety, and pain. We hope sharing about a still-stigmatized issue will help increase understanding and awareness.

The “Ryan DeBaun Mental Health Memorial Fund” is starting as a GoFundMe and will convert to an ongoing fund as a 501C3. This fund will pay for mental health counseling, focusing on college age students who cannot afford the therapy they need. We hope this assistance will help as many as possible to relieve the pain and confusion they are experiencing.

We will miss him sorely and will strive to carry out his mission and help as many people as we can through DefenderShield and our new companies, Lightbody and Ultra Armor. We hope we can continue making his company everything he had imagined, and we are very grateful for everyone who has supported DefenderShield. Please keep the DeBaun family along with his DefenderShield family in your thoughts and prayers.

Below is a full, uncut video interview of Ryan and Dan as they talk about the story behind DefenderShield. Get an inside look at their special Father-and-Son bond (that had its healthy share of dad jokes), which played a major role in creating the tight-knit family culture here at DefenderShield.